Tottenham Hotspur manager Andre Villas-Boas hailed his side's patience following their 2-0 win over Tromso IL in the Europa League.

The Norwegians frustrated Spurs for lengthy spells, but an own goal from Adnan Causevic and a Mousa Dembele effort secured the points in the second half.

"We played very well and it was important that we won in a comfortable way with a result that would put us through [in first place] and we did exactly that," Villas-Boas told reporters. "We showed patience and finally managed to get in behind them."

The Portuguese went on to express his delight at his side's return to winning ways ahead of this weekend's Premier League clash with Manchester United.

"We played well down the flanks, moved the ball well in midfield and created lots of good situations," he added. "I'm happy for the team and happy we bounced back in preparation for the match against United.

"It was important for us to get back to winning ways. We said that before the game when we were in London. We knew about the conditions, the snow and the artificial pitch and the players did well to get the result."

Spurs qualify for the next phase of the Europa League as Group K winners.