Jose Mourinho praised Gareth Bale's patience after coming off the bench to score the winner in a 2-1 victory over Brighton that lifted Spurs up to second in the Premier League.
Bale is yet to start in the league during his second spell at the club he left for a world record fee to join Real Madrid in 2013.
But the 31-year-old showed his ruthlessness in front of goal remains with a powerful header 17 minutes from time to ensure Mourinho's men did not slip up in a controversial encounter at the Tottenham Hotspur stadium.
"Gareth Bale is very stable, very mature, he knows his body better than anyone," said Mourinho. "We know where we want to go and he's with us on that journey."
The Welshman's intervention lessened the furore over Brighton's equaliser, scored by Tariq Lamptey.
Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg looked to have been clearly fouled by Solly March before the ball was worked to Lamptey, who produced a clinical finish into the far corner for his first goal for the club.
However, referee Graham Scott stood by his original decision not to award a Tottenham free-kick after reviewing the incident on the pitchside monitor.
"Probably the referee should go to the press conference and explain. He had time to go to the screen so only he can explain why it is a goal," added Mourinho.
The equaliser balanced up the dubious calls as Spurs led at half-time thanks to Harry Kane's first-half penalty, while Brighton were denied a spot-kick.
Kane was bundled over by former England teammate Adam Lallana, but after Scott initially awarded a free-kick on the edge of the box, he was instructed by VAR that the foul took place inside the box.
There was less doubt over the result of the spot-kick as the in-form Kane coolly dispatched his 199th Tottenham goal.
It was a familiar story for Brighton as their winless run stretched to six games despite going on to enjoy the better of the game for long spells.
