Mauricio Pochettino hailed a "fantastic" effort from his Tottenham players after they battled to a 2-1 win at Newcastle United on the opening weekend of the Premier League season.
Jan Vertonghen and Dele Alli scored either side of Newcastle striker Joselu during a frantic opening 18 minutes at St James' Park.
Vertonghen and Alli were two of five World Cup semi-finalists in the Spurs starting line-up despite only returning to training this week.
Mohamed Diame and Salomon Rondon were denied by post and crossbar during the second half as a flagging Tottenham hung on.
"I am so proud. I think the performance, in all the circumstances, we were fantastic," Pochettino told Sky Sports.
"Newcastle were a very good opponent. They created some chances to score more than one.
"Sometimes in football you need not only effort but some luck. I think in all the circumstances and how we prepared the game, with a lot of player who only started training on Monday, we can say it's a brilliant effort.
"We need to play better, be more consistent and not allow the opposition to create chances.
"But, of course, I am not going to complain. We need to be clever and learn and it's a massive challenge to try to work all together again in just a few days."
Mauricio: "Under the circumstances it was good to start the season in this way. The players showed great character and commitment, the mentality was amazing." August 11, 2018
Spurs did not add a single player during the transfer window, sparking discontent from some of the club's supporters.
Pochettino's side showed the benefit of familiarity as they hung on against Newcastle and, with a move to the new White Hart Lane on the horizon, the Argentinian tactician took the opportunity to call for a united front.
He said: "We need to stay all together – the staff and players. And the most important thing is our fans. [We are] giving out supporters another difficult season when we move to the new stadium.
"It's so important that our fans understand that we need a lot of help and of course we are going to give our very best to help them feel proud."
