Talk about turning the tides in one’s favor—because Ange Postecoglou might just be an expert at it. Amid a poor run of matches, Tottenham Hotspur bounced back in an epic fashion, securing a 0-5 win over Southampton on Sunday night. While the win helped the Londoners clinch crucial three points and restore confidence, for Postecoglou, today’s result feels more like a ‘reward‘ for his team.

Since the last time they thrashed Manchester City 0-4, things have been somewhat downhill for Spurs. Two consecutive draws in the Europa League, another draw against Fulham, and two defeats to Bournemouth and Chelsea have kept them in the negative limelight. So it’s safe to say that Tottenham needed this win more than ever.

“It sort of helps,” began Postecoglou while speaking his post-game reaction to TNT Sports. “… yeah, you want players to feel good, get the reward for their efforts, cause obviously we’re asking a lot from the whole group of players. We can’t rest people, they have been sort of grueling in the last couple of weeks,” added the 59-year-old.

It wasn’t just about dropping points over the last two weeks, as things had turned from bad to worse for Tottenham. To remind you, following a disappointing narrow defeat at Vitality Stadium, some Spurs fans directed harsh comments at Postecoglou. In response, the former Celtic boss crossed the pitch to confront the upset supporters, resulting in a heated exchange.

The frustration building against the former Celtic boss also stemmed from Tottenham’s recent 7-goal thriller loss to Chelsea. After taking an early 2-0 lead in the first half, Spurs suffered a complete turnaround, with the match ending 3-4. Then again, today’s night might just be the relief that fans needed, even if it meant defeating a 20th-placed team.

Notably, it was a dominant first half from Tottenham at St. Mary’s Stadium. James Maddison opened the scoring inside the opening minute, and in the blink of an eye, Son Heung-min and Dejan Kulusevski added two more in the 12th and 14th minutes. Pape Matar Sarr made it four after 10 minutes before Maddison completed his brace before halftime.

The remaining 45 minutes were all about maintaining the clean sheet while still testing the Saints. No wonder Ange called it a deserved win for the boys. “You want them to feel good, you want to get them a reward for that; recuperate and get ready for the big game Thursday,” concluded Postecoglou. Speaking of which, the challenge doesn’t end here for Spurs!

A much-needed reward for Tottenham as a busy week lines up for Ange Postecoglou and Co.

The win shall boost the confidence of all the players, considering how things had been for them in the previous two weeks. Then again, things are about to get more serious for Tottenham, as this coming Thursday they will be gearing up for its EFL Cup quarterfinal vs. Manchester United. Ruben Amorim’s side is also buzzed, as they also secured a difficult yet important 1-2 win in the Manchester derby against Pep Guardiola and Co. today.

If Spurs are fortunate enough to secure a spot in the semifinals of the EFL Cup, they’ll need to maintain their game mode for the weekend’s clash against Liverpool on Sunday night. There’s no need to remind anyone about Arne Slot’s side, who have been in remarkable form so far. Either way, both games will demand a strong and determined performance from Tottenham. Otherwise, this win against Southampton will hold little significance beyond temporarily getting them back on track.