Tottenham Hotspur boss Mauricio Pochettino has praised his players as they confirmed their place in the Champions League next season.
Spurs defeated Newcastle United 1-0 at home thanks to a goal from Harry Kane to secure a top four finish. In addition to earning another season of Champions League football, Spurs have also confirmed their ranking as the highest performing London club.
The Lilywhites will finish higher in the Premier League than all of the other London clubs for the first time since 1995. Following this landmark achievement for the club, Pochettino has challenged his team to now win a trophy.
Chelsea put the pressure on but Tottenham will finish the season as London's top club for the first time since 1994-95. pic.twitter.com/iBIR4GGpq2
— Standard Sport (@standardsport) May 9, 2018
"The first step is always to be competitive," said the boss following the win over the Magpies (via the Daily Star)."Reduce the gap with the top four, that was the challenge four years ago.
"Now after 23 years in the Premier League Tottenham are above all the London clubs. The next thing is to win a trophy. But you need to build. We are not in a club that wins a lot in last years.
"To create a winning mentality is to build step by step and then to be competitive with the big sides."
Spurs have now qualified for the Champions League for the third successive season. They will now have their maiden season in their new stadium with European football to look forward to. A point in their final game of the season against Leicester City will also see Spurs finish third ahead of Champions League finalists Liverpool.
Harry Kane scored his 28th league goal of the season to win the game against Newcastle. Kane is still three goals behind Liverpool's Mohamed Salah in the race for the golden boot, but for now the Englishman is relishing in securing Champions League football for his side.
"It feels great, amazing," said Kane. "It's been a long, tough season, playing here at Wembley has been different but it's been a good journey, a good experience.
"We're delighted to finish it off tonight with Champions League football. I'm very proud of the players, the squad, the staff. As I said, it's been tough but I'm delighted we've finished it off well."
- 90Min