Stand-in Tottenham manager Joe Jordan has admitted that Spurs were pushed hard during their 3-1 victory over Fulham yesterday, and that they "had to hang on in there" as The Cottagers pushed for an equaliser in the second half.
Assistant manager Jordan, standing in for Harry Redknapp while he recuperates from heart surgery, said that Spurs were lucky to come out of the clash with a win.
"We didn't expect the game to go like that in the second half," Jordan said.
"In the first half we played well and deservedly went in front. The second half was the complete opposite. For the last half-hour, not just 10 minutes, we had to hang on in there.
"We had to show determination and spirit and had to be resilient."
Goals from Gareth Bale and Aaron Lennon put Spurs 2-0 at half-time, before Fulham clawed the game back with a Younes Kaboul own-goal.
Fulham pushed Spurs hard from then on and were denied a penalty late on, before Jermain Defoe sealed the result for Tottenham with a goal in the dying minutes.
"The third goal was a bonus," Jordan added. "We didn't see that coming. If anyone was going to score, it felt as if it would be Fulham."
Jordan said that the game was enough to rush Redknapp back to health soon.
"It was a good tester for Harry, that last half-hour," Jordan said. "If he passes that, which I'm sure he will, he'll be back early.
"He has another two weeks to recover. We treated him very nicely in that first half but we took some punishment in the second.
"We'll take a deep breath, settle down and have a chat in the week."
The win means that Spurs remain fifth in the Premier League table with a game in hand, while Fulham drop to 16th place.
