Tottenham Hotspur manager Tim Sherwood has described his side's comeback against Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk as a victory "based on character and desire".

After the Ukrainians had seen Roman Zozulya sent off for headbutting Jan Vertonghen on 62 minutes, Spurs scored three times in quick succession to overcome a 2-0 aggregate deficit and qualify for the Europa League last 16.

"I was delighted with the character," Sherwood told reporters. "I have got a liberty to question their character when they play like they did tonight.

"After conceding so early in the second half, it was a real blow for us but it was all based on character and desire.

"I always felt we needed to score three goals to go through tonight. It was a bit of a nothing game in the first half but we opened them up time and again in the second half."

The Lillywhites will now play Portuguese giants Benfica in the next round.