Tottenham Hotspur may have had their fair share of issues this season but Thursday night shone a light on the bright future in store at N17.
Spurs ran out 3-0 winners over Elfsborg at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium to secure a place in the last 16 of the Europa League.
Better still, all three Tottenham scorers were academy graduates, with Dane Scarlett, Damola Ajayi and Mikey Moore getting on the scoresheet.
Scarlett opened the scoring when he headed home from Dejan Kulusevski’s cross in the 70th minute, just four minutes after coming off the bench.
Ajayi then doubled Tottenham’s lead with a superb debut goal on 84 minutes as he slotted home following a one-two with Scarlett.
Moore then rounded off the scoring four minutes into injury time as he drove forward, beat his man and slotted into the far corner.
Ben Davies, speaking after the game, spoke specifically about Scarlett after the youngster got Tottenham up and running in the match.
Ben Davies praises Dane Scarlett for his hard work at Tottenham over last few years
Davies, speaking to TNT Sports, said Scarlett was the game-changer for Tottenham, and spoke of how he has always seen him working hard at Tottenham.
“It was important to just get the job done tonight,” said the Spurs captain on the night.
“We know those games can be banana skins the longer they stay 0-0. You can feel the anxiety around the place and it just builds.
“Thankfully this guy [Scarlett] comes on and changes the game. A good win overall. He came on in a game that was quite tough at times and he changed it for us.
“Dane’s worked so hard over the last few years that I have been here with him. He’s had to go on loan, play limited minutes in lots of games too.
“But to come on and play the way he did in that game was amazing. Nothing short of what he deserves.”
Davies is not the only one impressed with Spurs’ top talents after the game.
Peter Crouch shared how a fan told him Tottenham should just use the academy stars rather than signing other players this month.
What Ange Postecoglou has said about Scarlett as new loan now out of the question
Scarlett spent the first half of the season on loan at Championship side Oxford United, making 22 appearances and scoring four.
He was recalled earlier this month and was named in the Tottenham matchday squad for the first time this season.
Players are only allowed to feature for two clubs across a single season, so Ange Postecoglou’s decision to bring Scarlett on means he can’t go out on loan again this term.
Postecoglou explained why he decided to keep hold of the 20-year-old forward for the remainder of the campaign.
“We had a look at his situation,” he told reporters after the game. “He has had a couple of disappointing loans.
“I think sending him out again without any sort of real prospect of him developing, we just felt let’s keep him training with us and give him an opportunity to train with us and play with us and see how it goes.”