LONDON -- Ange Postecoglou needed this. Wednesday's 1-0 win over Liverpool may not be enough to reach the Carabao Cup Final given the semifinal's second leg at Anfield awaits, but it buys him precious time to steer Tottenham Hotspur's season back on track.
The irony is that this vital result comes in a competition the 59-year-old manager has not particularly targeted, and through a performance which represents something of a departure from the high-risk style which has tested the locals' faith in this part of north London.
It was nothing like a complete abandonment of Postecoglou's principles, but more of a compromise than we're used to seeing.