Mauricio Pochettino has admitted that Tottenham Hotspur found life difficult against a stubborn Aston Villa, but was delighted to see his side show the patience to get the job done.
The Lilywhites ensured that they will be in the hat for the fourth round of the FA Cup by seeing off the Villans 2-0 at White Hart Lane on Sunday evening.
Spurs managed to up the ante after the restart following a poor first-half spectacle in North London, picking up the win through Ben Davies's first goal for the club and a Son Heung-min strike in the final 20 minutes.
"It's always difficult in the FA Cup, but we played a team that had very good organisation and it was tough to break them," BBC Sport quotes Pochettino, who made nine changes to his starting lineup, as saying. "We had lots of possession but a lot patience to try and build from the back.
"I was very pleased in the end - it's never easy to win in the FA Cup. It was a good opportunity for many players to show their quality. At 0-0 we changed the system a bit to try and change the game and from that we scored. I'm pleased for the players that haven't played too much, it's important for them to build their confidence."
Spurs have now won each of their last six games in all competitions, with the visit of West Bromwich Albion next up in six days' time.
Daniel Lewis
