Tottenham manager Glenn Hoddle praised his side's spirit and persistence after they earned a win at Aston Villa.

Hoddle was delighted with the way his side bounced back from their last visit away from London when the were hammered 4-0 by Southampton in their FA Cup third round tie.

Now Hoddle has set his sights on Europe, saying the win was crucial in making his dream a reality next season.

There is no reason why we can't qualify for Europe now Spurs boss Glenn Hoddle

"To come here and put them out of their stride and keep us going is a big result for us," he said.

"I would go as far as to say it is a significant result in our season and if we can go on a run now there is no reason why we can't qualify for Europe."

The Spurs boss also praised Teddy Sheringham after the 36-year-old's neat volley secured victory at Villa Park.

"I asked Stephen Carr to get forward and he produced a smashing cross which brought a great finish from Teddy," he revealed.

"He's been doing that for a long time and that sort of finish sometimes is the difference between sides."

It always looked as if one side might nick it 1-0 and unfortunately it's gone to Tottenham Villa boss Graham Taylor

While Tottenham cemented their place in the top-half of the table, Graham Taylor watched his side drift back into 14th place.

The Villa boss blames his side's failure to convert their chances in front of goal for their poor Premiership campaign.

"At one end Ian Taylor missed the sort of chance he would normally put away and they go straight down the other end and score," he said.

"That summed up how things have been going this season and we have now lost seven or eight matches by a single goal which is so frustrating for me."

"It always looked as if one side might nick it 1-0 and unfortunately it's gone to Tottenham."