Xavi Simons fires two-word message to Tottenham players as mood turns after Atletico Madrid clash

Tottenham earned their first win under Igor Tudor against Atletico Madrid and Xavi Simons had a firm message for his team-mates following the victory

Tottenham star Xavi Simons has told his team-mates they can have 'no excuses' as they battle for Premier League survival following their 3-2 win over Atletico Madrid. Igor Tudor's side failed to progress in the Champions League after a dismal first-leg outing but won in north London to hand the Croatian his first victory in charge of the club.

Simons won man of the match honours after scoring a brace. Randal Kolo Muani put Spurs in the lead after 30 minutes before Julian Alvarez equalised and David Hancko cancelled out Simons' first goal. The Dutch starlet scored a 90th-minute penalty to offer the Lilywhites a hint of momentum after they also drew with Liverpool at the weekend.

Spurs have not earned three points in the Premier League since beating Crystal Palace in December and are 16th in the division. The Lilywhites are just a single point clear of the relegation zone, with Nottingham Forest and West Ham both sitting on 29 points in the places below them.

And Simons wants his team-mates to channel their Champions League outing into a positive end to the season. Forest lie in wait at the weekend, in a pivotal clash towards securing Premier League safety.

The summer-singing wants to see the club push on from this moment.

FOLLOW OUR TOTTENHAM FB PAGE! Latest Spurs news, analysis and much more via our dedicated Facebook page

"Obvious disappointment, but a building block," he said on Instagram. "We build from here now. No excuses."

Tudor was happy with the performances of a number of his stars against Atletico. The interim boss was full of praise for Archie Gray in particular, but listed a number of promising outings.

"He's a guy, you know the positions he plays everywhere, so probably this position in the middle is, I believe, the best one for him," Tudor said. "But he's playing continually in the right way, in a good way.

"It's a mix of quality, physically and mentally, to always make the right choices and be humble and have legs to do so. He needs to continue this, he's still young, so every day he needs a new confirmation [of what he can do].

"Together with Pape, I see them very well, there's a quality between these two players. The last two games, they really made a difference.

"But also, I think Xavi was very good, happy for him, showed the talent, it was not easy to play there in the middle, where it's always difficult, in the front, Mathys also, did good things."