Dele Alli hit the winner for Tottenham as they snuck past Barnsley 1-0 at Wembley to reach the fourth round of the Carabao Cup on Tuesday.
Spurs took 62 minutes to register a shot on target as Fernando Llorente struggled to fill Harry Kane's boots on his first start for the club - but Alli struck from close range on 65 minutes to ease the nerves.
Barnsley stood firm for the majority of the evening and missed a couple of presentable chances from set-pieces, most notably from Liam Lindsay just before the break.
This was Spurs' second victory at their new home in five attempts this season, although they remain without a win at the 'home of football' in the Premier League.
The four-time Carabao Cup winners go into the hat for the draw for the fourth round, which will be made on Wednesday evening.
Spurs enjoyed plenty of territory in the first-half and fired 11 shots on goal, but all were off target as Llorente was guilty of missing the best opportunity from a Kieran Trippier corner.
The Championship outfit, who were thrashed 3-0 by Aston Villa at the weekend, looked up for the battle at the famous ground and Lindsay should have hit the target after Ryan Hedges had sent over a fantastic delivery from the right.
Chelsea loanee Ike Ugbo led the line with great maturity despite being just 19-years-old and tested Michel Vorm from 15 yards with a half-volley on 46 minutes but the goalkeeper pushed it clear.
Spurs needed a spark from somewhere and it was Trippier who provided it.
The full-back beat his man down the right with a clever trick, which gave him the opportunity to pick out Alli in the six-yard box. The England international had spent most of the night missing the target with his efforts - but this one was impossible to waste as he rolled home from three yards out.
Alli celebrated by cupping his ears towards a crowd of just 23,926 at the national stadium.
Despite plenty of huffing and puffing there was no way back for Barnsley.
Man of the match - Kieran Trippier
Always an outlet on the right flank, the full-back produced the match-winning moment. Receiving an aerial ball, his first touch took him away from his marker and he fizzed a wonderful cross from which Alli couldn't miss. His set-piece delivery was on point, too, and he could've had two assists had Llorente not fluffed his lines in the first half from Trippier's corner. On this showing, Tottenham have a more than adequate replacement for Kyle Walker.
What's next?
Tottenham are back in action on Saturday lunchtime with a trip to West Ham United on their agenda, which is live on Sky Sports Premier League. Meanwhile, Barnsley will look to turn around their poor league form when they visit Wolves on Saturday.