Tottenham's final-day hero Joao Palhinha paid tribute to the Spurs fans for their support as he vowed the club would "grow up" after their relegation scare on Sunday.

Spurs headed into the final day of the season needing a result at home to Everton to ensure they would not suffer relegation for the first time in the Premier League era.

Palhinha netted the decisive goal in a 1-0 triumph, meaning rivals West Ham's own 3-0 success at home to Leeds United was not enough to avoid the drop.

Tottenham's victory was their first at home since December and just their third at home in the league this season. Along with Hull City in 2008-09, this is the fewest home wins for any side to avoid relegation in Premier League history.

But the fans at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium continued to play their part during the run-in and roared Spurs across the finishing line against Everton.

Reflecting on Tottenham's survival in front of those supporters, Palhinha told Sky Sports: "It's an amazing feeling after a really tough season in every single way.

"It was really tough, a lot of things happened in this season, but I think we showed today, with the crowd... I've never seen anything like this, to be honest, after a bad season like this one.

"This environment, this support, it's amazing. I've never seen anything like that."

Palhinha, whose five league goals alone were worth five vital points to Spurs, continued: "I think this season will be strong for the next one as well. I think the club will grow up with this season.

"We know what we have to do in the future: big players to play here, top coach, top team-mates.

"We have to celebrate even if we didn't finish in a position like Tottenham deserve. It's a big day for our supporters, because they deserved this."