Tottenham finally found a pulse in Europe on Wednesday night, beating Atletico Madrid 3-2 in north London, but the late surge came with a brutal caveat: they are out of the Champions League, 7-5 on aggregate, and staring at a relegation fight at home.
It was Igor Tudor’s first victory since replacing Thomas Frank, a result that arrived with a roar rather than a whimper. Spurs went toe-to-toe with Diego Simeone’s side, threw punches, landed them, and for once did not fold when the pressure rose. The tie was already leaning heavily Atletico’s way, yet Tottenham refused to treat the second leg as a formality.
The performance followed a gritty 1-1 draw against Liverpool and, taken together, these last two games hint at something Spurs have lacked for weeks: direction. Not a miracle turnaround, not yet, but a line of progress Tudor can point to.
“The sensations are mixed,” he told BBC Sport afterwards. No surprise there. Beating Atletico but walking away eliminated is the kind of emotional split that defines European nights. “You don't like to not get through, but it was a very good performance. It was a beautiful sensation on the pitch with the fans who were really there together with the squad and the team from the first moment.”
That bond mattered. The atmosphere had been flat in recent weeks, poisoned by fear of the drop and a run of dismal form. This time, the crowd bought in early and stayed with the team. Tudor felt it and made sure to underline it.
“The energy was really nice from the first moment and the fans recognised the team did everything from the first minute to the last and they were with us – beautiful, thanks,” he said. “The players believed and you could see the performance at this moment is very important. In the last two games we have improved.”
The pressure finally told not on Atletico, but on the narrative around Tudor. He needed something tangible to show that the ideas were landing. A narrow defeat with brave words would not have been enough. A 3-2 win against Simeone’s side, after a draw with Liverpool, gives him a platform and, crucially, buys him time.
He knows, though, that the real exam comes on Sunday against Nottingham Forest. “It is an important game on Sunday but it will not decide anything yet, it will be decided over the last three games,” he warned. That is the reality of Tottenham’s season now: every domestic fixture carries the weight that Champions League nights once did.
What made this win resonate even more inside the dressing room was the context of Tudor’s options. Spurs were stretched to the limit.
“Today we had 11 players and on the bench, just one player – Kevin Danso,” he revealed. “Lucas Bergvall, Destiny Udogie and Conor Gallagher, the doctors said they could only play 20 minutes so you have 11 players and Danso. That makes the value of this performance even better. It was nice to take the victory and important for morale.”
Eleven fit players, one fully available substitute, three others effectively on a 20‑minute leash. In those circumstances, beating Atletico is not just a result, it is a statement about character. It also explains the raw emotion Tudor showed at full-time.
The wider picture remains stark. Tottenham are locked in a battle to avoid relegation, their season reduced to a scrap for survival rather than a chase for silverware or European nights. There will be no continental football next year, no grand midweek occasions under the lights. The reset is coming, whether they like it or not.
Tudor, though, is already looking beyond the immediate firefight.
“Next year, no, it should be the year after that. Why not?” he said when asked about returning to Europe. “Winning a trophy last season gave the confidence to the players and it is totally different if you have experience in European competition.”
That line hangs in the air. Tottenham, a club that once measured itself by Champions League semi-finals and top-four finishes, are now clinging to the belief that this is a pause rather than a permanent step back.
For Tudor, Wednesday night may prove to be the turning point he can trace back if Spurs do stay up and rebuild. The aggregate scoreline will show elimination. The night itself told a different story: a thin, exhausted squad, a manager under pressure, and a fanbase desperate for a sign that the slide can be halted.
The Champions League adventure is over. The real fight, the one that will define the next few years in north London, starts now.
