'I can't praise them enough' - Ange Postecoglou proud of injury-plagued Tottenham's 'unbelievable job' despite FA Cup loss to Aston Villa as manager identifies target for miserable season

After losing 4-1 on aggregate against Liverpool in the Carabao Cup semi-final last week, Spurs have now crashed out of the FA Cup after they were beaten 2-1 by Aston Villa on Sunday. Jacob Ramsey put the Villans in front in the very first minute of the match before Morgan Rogers doubled their lead just past the hour mark. New signing Mathys Tel scored a consolation for Spurs in injury time.

Despite their eliminations from two cup competitions in consecutive games, manager Postecoglou praised his players for putting up a fight despite their fatigue. He also pointed out the number of first-team players he was missing in the clash, with Spurs currently dealing with no fewer than 11 first-team injuries.

Speaking to reporters after the match, the 59-year-old said: "This group has done an unbelievable job for two and a half months. I can't praise them enough, playing twice a week since November. They'll get the chance to reset now and finish the season strong.

"Europe is still very important to us, we're still in a great spot there, and we'll hope to get some players back over the next two weeks. We'll get players back which will help, we had 11 first-team players out today. Take that out of any team for one game and they would struggle - we've been doing that for two and a half months."

The North London side will be next seen in action on February 16 as they host Manchester United in a crucial Premier League clash.