Tottenham Hotspur boss Antonio Conte lauded his players for showing a "nasty" side in their dramatic 3-2 come-from-behind win over Bournemouth.
The Lilywhites made six changes from the side that drew 1-1 with Sporting Lisbon in the Champions League as they sought to avoid a third successive Premier League defeat and maintain a podium place in the table.
The game got off to the worst possible start for the North London club, as Kieffer Moore put Bournemouth ahead in the first half before doubling his side's advantage on the 49-minute mark.
After Conte called upon the cavalry from the bench, Ryan Sessegnon and Ben Davies restored parity for Spurs before Rodrigo Bentancur struck in second-half stoppage time to steal all three points for the Lilywhites.
Conte could not bear to watch the last-minute celebrations - heading down the tunnel as memories of Harry Kane's denied winner against Sporting nearly came back to haunt him.
However, Bentancur's goal was a perfectly good one, seeing Spurs edge a five-goal thriller on the South coast and end a three-game winless run across all competitions.
Conte jokingly told the press after the game that the fear of a "heart attack" caused him to head for the tunnel after Bentancur's winner, and he was delighted with the "nastiness" his side showed in the second half.
"I came back when I knew the goal was regular. I thought in my mind and my heart I can have a heart attack because in two days to score and then have goal disallowed," football.london quotes Conte as saying.
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"I said I go down and then stay calm and then I wait for the decision of the referee. But for sure it was great to see the desire of my players and the reaction they had.
"I repeat also the nastiness they put into the pitch because I have seen in the eyes of my players the desire to win this game. Also when we drew 2-2 and then in our mind the only thought was to take the ball and start to play again. This reaction was really positive and I want this from my players.
"In the second half despite conceding the second goal, we started to play nasty, with a will and desire. To not only move the ball and show we are good and nice but in an effective way."
The Italian now believes that his side could not be better prepared for next week's crucial Champions League clash with Marseille, but he has admitted that his players are prone to losing confidence too easily.
"For me these guys are really good guys, really good players but sometimes they lose the confidence easily and I think we have to try to work and to continue to work on this aspect.
"In the end I think it was vital for us this win, especially after two losses in the Premier League and now this win has to give us enthusiasm, passion to go into Marseille and play a final."
Tottenham only need a point against Marseille at the Orange Velodrome to ensure a place in the Champions League knockout stages before a crunch Premier League clash with Liverpool next Sunday.
Ben Knapton
