On a night when nothing other than a victory was acceptable for Tottenham Hotspur, their academy stars thrived to score three excellent goals to see The Lilywhites automatically progress to the Round of 16 in the UEFA Europa League.
Despite dominating possession, Spurs were unable to find a way through until the 70th minute, as Dane Scarlett, recently recalled from a loan at Championship side Oxford United, headed home after a Dejan Kulusevski cross to score his first competitive goal in lily-white.
Damola Ajayi doubled the lead just three minutes into his debut for the club before Mikey Moore continued his excellent run of form to score his first goal in a Tottenham shirt, rounding off events with a great low finish after a superb mazy run.
Here are four things we learnt from the 3-0 victory at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Academy thriving
On his third appearance since making his debut in January, Brandon Austin kept a clean sheet for the first-ever time as a Spurs player, keeping momentum on two previous impressive performances.
The goalkeeper was one of just two Hotspur Way graduates in the starting lineup but it was two from the substitute bench who had a huge impact on the outcome of the tie.
Scarlett replaced the injured Radu Dragusin and took just five minutes to break the deadlock on the night as he confidently scored from a sublime cross by Kulusevski - who also made a difference after coming on at half-time.
Things haven't been easy for Scarlett recently. After numerous disappointing loan spells, he returned to the squad for Thursday night's clash and scored his first competitive goal in his eighteenth appearance for the club.
The striker then went on to assist Damola Ajayi, who scored less than 180 seconds into his first senior appearance for the club. The winger, who has been a mainstay in the starting lineup for the Under-21s, drove inside at speed before playing a one-two with Scarlett and then fired past Isak Pettersson to double the lead.
Mikey Moore wrapped up another promising display with a goal in added time, meaning he has now added three goal contributions to his name in just 177 minutes of football, as he continues to impress fans.
The performance is a testament, not only to the sheer hard work of the players and their families, who will be over the moon with what they saw tonight, but also to every member of the academy who has coached and guided them through their time in N17 and Ange Postecoglou for trusting them and throwing them into the side.
Keep the trust in Ange
Eyebrows were raised as Posteccoglou flung Micky van de Ven straight back into the lineup, but the plan worked and so did his other readjustments throughout the game, as Tottenham eased to victory.
Elfsborg made the night comfortable for Spurs, gifting them time and space in possession with the hosts quicker to react to every loose ball and despite a goalless first half, they were dominant.
At half time, three planned substitutes took place, with van de Ven - who completed the first half with no issues on his return from injury - Heung-Min Son and Rodrigo Bentancur being replaced by Dragusin, Yves Bissouma and Kulusevski. The changes allowed certain players to get some much-needed rest ahead of the trip to Brentford on Sunday and a crucial week ahead in domestic cup competitions, whilst it also brought some added pace to attacking plays and added a different dimension to the team.
When Dragusin went down 16 minutes after coming on, Postecoglou ordered Scarlett to get stripped and ready to come on, rather than throwing 16-year-old Malachi Hardy into the deep end in a must-win European tie which was deadlocked.
The Australian changed the structure of the side, deploying Pape Sarr at left back and moving Richarlison out wide and the tactical adjustments seemingly worked when the 20-year-old striker scored the breakthrough goal almost instantly.
Spurs' head coach then continued to put faith in the youth, with Ajayi coming on to double the scoreline, before Mikey Moore became the youngest Englishman to score in a major European competition since the legendary Jimmy Greaves in 1957, rounding off a superb night in North London.
A heap of sensible plans for overused players, tactical re-shuffling and confidence in the youth saw Tottenham progress to the Round of 16 without having to play two extra games in the play-off round.
Tables turning for Scarlett
A Player of the Match performance from Dane Scarlett, who scored the opener and then claimed an assist for the second inside 20 minutes after coming on, could prove to be a turning point for the England Under-21 forward.
Having gone through several underwhelming terms with EFL clubs, the striker was recalled from the Kassam Stadium by Spurs just over a week ago and featured in a 20-man match day squad for the first time against Elfsborg last night.
The Englishman has previously shown glimpses of his talent, which was once talked about by Jose Mourinho in 2021 after he made his senior debut as a 16-year-old, with the Portuguese saying "he [Scarlett] is a diamond, a kid with incredible potential." However, he has never had a real shot at proving his worth.
"It was amazing. I have been waiting for that moment for a long time. I have been on loan and experienced men's football. I feel really good now. Ready to kick on. Very happy," said Scarlett when speaking to TNT Sports after the 3-0 win.
Despite scoring just four goals in 20 appearances in England's second tier during the first half of the campaign, he came on in the Europa League last night and took his opportunity with pride, which may finally give him a chance to kick on and prove his potential to the world.
Spurs progress automatically
The victory saw The Lilywhites qualify automatically for the final sixteen of the competition with a 4th-placed League Phase finish, meaning they will avoid two extra games in the Knockout Play-Off Round.
Despite not looking entirely positive throughout the eight-game phase, especially after a loss to Galatasaray and draws with AS Roma and Rangers, they did enough to secure their place in the top eight, meaning their next fixture in Europe will take place in March.
In the Round of 16, they will face one of four sides - a reunion with either Galatasaray or AZ Alkmaar, or a tie with either Denmark's FC Midtjylland or Spain's Real Sociedad. This is still unknown, with either Spurs or Manchester United being pitted against the winners of either play-off round tie in February.