Tottenham Hotspur’s losing run is over having come from a goal down to beat Burnley 2-1, easing the pressure on Ange Postecoglou.
Tottenham simply had to win against Burnley on Saturday afternoon.
Four defeats in a row at the hands of Newcastle United, Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool had left Spurs in a real hole.
Spurs simply couldn’t afford to lose to Burnley and falling 1-0 down in the first half was not in the plans.
Tottenham have come from behind so many times this season though and repeated the trick against Burnley.
Pedro Porro levelled up the scoring with a powerful finish before Micky van de Ven won it in the second half.
The Dutchman slotted home to spend Spurs fans wild in the penultimate home game of the Premier League season.
Ange Postecoglou on Micky van de Ven
Tottenham may still miss out on Champions League action but Postecoglou just could not afford to lose again.
Even a draw would have been a disappointment against a Championship-bound Burnley.
Tottenham just about secured the win though with Van de Ven stepping up as the rather unlikely match-winner.
Van de Ven had been moved from centre back to left back in the final stages of the game as Postecoglou pushed for another goal.
James Maddison picked out Van de Ven with a ‘top pass’ – the defender’s words, not ours – and he finished it off in style.
Ange Postecoglou has now moved to praise Van de Ven whilst speaking to BBC Sport following Saturday’s win.
Boss Postecoglou noted that Van de Ven is simply ‘outstanding’ but one factor is just so exciting for the Tottenham boss.
This is Van de Ven’s first season in the Premier League and Postecoglou has been blown away by his performances.
Postecoglou feels that Van de Ven is ‘at the forefront’ of Tottenhams exciting future and believes that he has performed like a ‘seasoned professional’ this season.
“He’s not a bad player is he? He’s outstanding and that’s the exciting thing for me – it is his first year in Premier League football,” said Postecoglou. “Same with Destiny [Udogie], Pape Sarr and [Guglielmo] Vicario, too. We have so much growth in this team and Micky is at the forefront of that.”
“I can’t think of too many players who have made such an impact in their first year of Premier League football, and knowing he only really had one year in the Bundesliga. It’s not like he’s a seasoned professional. He has had a few injury problems but when he’s played he has been outstanding,” he added.
READ MORE: All seven Ange Postecoglou player exits as Tottenham manager and where they are now
Van de Ven has exceeded all expectations
Postecoglou is right to point out that few players come from the Bundesliga and make such an enormous impact in the Premier League.
Even some of the biggest Bundesliga stars – Dominik Szoboszlai, Moussa Diaby, Christopher Nkunku – have had their ups and downs in the Premier League this season.
Van de Ven wasn’t considered to be one of the top Bundesliga players last season but his potential was obvious.
A huge physical presence with outstanding speed, Van de Ven showed the promise to become a top centre back with time and the right development.
Few could have really seen Van de Ven becoming this good this quickly though.
Van de Ven has been exceptional pretty much all season long with the 4-0 thrashing at Newcastle just an aberration.
The 23-year-old still has so much potential and that he has arguably been Tottenham’s most consistent performer this season speaks volumes.
Let’s just hope that Van de Ven can avoid injury as a fit and thriving Van de Ven could become an absolute superstar in the coming years.
READ MORE: A timeline of all Tottenham Hotspur captains in the Premier League era