Tottenham advanced into the last 16 of the Europa League courtesy of three magical moments from academy graduates.
Dane Scarlett, Damola Ajayi and Mikey Moore all netted their first goal for their boyhood club to see Ange Postecoglou’s side reach the knockout stages.
Scarlett nodded past Isak Pettersson in the 70th minute after being expertly found by an accurate Dejan Kulusevski delivery before turning provider for Spurs’ second.
The Englishman teed up fellow academy product Damola Ajayi who marked his first appearance for the Lilywhites with a precisely drilled finish.
The night for the academy prospects got even better in stoppage time when the highly rated Mikey Moore scored a fantastic solo effort.
Elfsborg posed very little threat to the Tottenham goal as the Allsvenskan side failed to register a shot on target.
A victory for Tottenham saw them finish in fourth position in the league phase. Here are the player ratings after a night where dreams were realised in North London.
Tottenham Player Ratings
Brandon Austin – 6
The stopper was untested for the entirety of the contest with Elfsborg opting to limit their forays forward.
Austin could’ve been forgiven for switching off due to lack of action but the 26-year-old swept up loose balls adequately when called upon.
Pedro Porro – 7
Porro combined well with Moore on the right hand side and was Tottenham’s biggest creative threat on the night.
The full-back’s attacking intent was persistent but somehow a teammate couldn’t provide the telling touch to his multitude of crosses.
Archie Gray – 6
The teenager continued to be deployed at centre-half and performed his role astutely.
He was rarely threatened by the opposition and his passes frequently found their desired target.
Micky van de Ven – 6.5
Micky van de Ven made such a difference to the backline with his strength, pace and aggression halting any rare attempts from the opposition to penetrate the backline.
The former Wolfsburg defender was one of the alterations at half-time with Postecoglou announcing in his pre-match press conference that his minutes would be monitored after a lengthy injury layoff.
Ben Davies – 6.5
Bombarded up the left-flank with athleticism that provided an option for Heung-min Son on the overlap.
Davies had the hosts’ first shot on target of the second period with a rasping strike from outside the box .
His seniority was necessary with Tottenham ending the game with a plethora of youth on the pitch.
Rodrigo Bentancur – 6.5
Bentancur looked an assured figure in the middle of the park with his intelligence and tenacity helping Spurs retain possession. The Uruguayan was one of three Spurs players to make way at half-time with Postecoglou making changes that were confirmed to be pre-planned ahead of a crucial week.
Pape Matar Sarr – 6
Sarr’s shot in the first half was valiantly blocked on the line by a combination of Elfsborg’s goalkeeper and defender Gustav Henriksson. The Senegalese was moving gingerly at the break but managed to complete the full 90 minutes.
Lucas Bergvall – 5.5
An erratic start to proceedings from the teenager included him losing possession countless of times through a lack of awareness and poor decision making. After flying into a challenge with Jalal Abdullai, Ange Postecoglou was animated as he tried to instil calm his midfielder.
Looked much more comfortable and composed after the break and came close to breaking the deadlock with a stooping header that was gathered by the Elfsborg goalkeeper. Picked up a customary yellow card late on for a petulant foul.
Mikey Moore – 7
Moore recorded his first goal for the club in spectacular fashion in what turned out to be the last highlight of the evening.
The teenager burst past the attention of two defenders before drilling into the bottom corner and deservedly soaking in the adulation from the Tottenham fans.
The Englishman was thwarted on a couple of occasions by Pettersson in the first half as the Swedish stopper reacted superbly to throw a strong palm at a few close-range efforts.
Richarlison – 6
Richarlison was a focal point up top and flung himself at a few crosses sent in his direction.
He curled an effort high and wide of the target with ten minutes remaining of the first period but was hindered from making an impact in the second half by the Elfsborg defence.
Heung-min Son – 7.5
Shades of the Heung-min Son of old was emerging in the first half with an assortment of tricks that terrorised Elfsborg’s right wing-back Simon Hedlund.
The Spurs captain delivered numerous dangerous crosses into his teammates after evading his marker with ball rolls, stepovers and body feints.
The South Korean was unlucky not to pick up an assist with goalkeeper Pettersson denying several shots Son had created. He was taken off at the interval with Postecoglou protecting his skipper during their congested schedule.
Substitutes
Radu Dragusin – N/A
The Romanian was introduced at the break but only lasted 20 minutes before being forced off the pitch.
After engaging with Abdulllai, Dragusin’s knee appeared to buckle following an uncomfortable landing and the defender immediately signalled to the bench. The grimace on his face told the whole story as the defender looked in extreme discomfort.
Yves Bissouma – 6
The Malian returned to action after missing the last fortnight with a knock picked up in January's North London derby defeat.
Postecoglou was left with no choice but to change his formation to a back three after Dragusin's forced departure and Bissouma did well to protect the disjointed backline.
Dejan Kulusevski – 7.5
Kulusevski rejuvenated a Tottenham team that was lacking a cutting edge to help his side eventually cruise to victory.
It was the Swede’s undefendable cross that allowed Scarlett to break the deadlock and his physicality helped Spurs retain possession in the final third.
Dane Scarlett – 8
Scarlett reintroduced himself to the Tottenham faithful in heroic fashion as he headed home the opening goal.
Scarlett replaced the injured Dragusin with 25 minutes to play – a cameo which means the striker can't go back out on loan for the remainder of the campaign.
The England U-19 was recalled from his loan at Championship outfit Oxford United due to not being given the desired minutes.
However, with Tottenham chasing a goal, Scarlett was brought on to add another attacking presence alongside Richarlison.
The 20-year-old connected with Kulusevski’s perfect pick-out to finally breach Pettersson’s net. That moment could prove pivotal in Scarlett’s Tottenham career.
The striker than assisted Ajayi with a cushioned pass into the forward’s path.
Damola Ajayi – 8
The 19-year-old scored within three minutes of his senior debut with a finish that exceeded his tender age.
The winger gathered the ball off Scarlett with authority and confidence and drove at the defence before finding the bottom corner.
Ajayi has been on the peripheries of the senior team over the last few months, but he may have played his way into Postecoglou’s plans with that stirring debut display.