Anyone who tells you that it was only a point will not understand.
Anyone who tells you that it was only a group match doesn’t get it.
Rival fans who claim the praise is over the top might just be a tiny bit jealous.
Tottenham’s towering performance at Real Madrid was a milestone for Mauricio Pochettino’s young side.
It was the statement display to suggest they could yet be regulars at the top level of European football.
As Arsenal’s Gold Card for the Champions League expires, Tottenham’s is being readied. They now look to be north London’s representatives for the future.
The key word is consistency. This isn’t the first time that Spurs under Pochettino have pulled off a top result. Theirs was the best defence in the Premier League last season, remember.
Over the past 12 months they have beaten Manchester City without Harry Kane. They ended Chelsea’s record-equalling 13-match unbeaten run in the Premier League and they saw off Manchester United in May.
This, at the Bernabeu, was even better. Yes, Real were without Gareth Bale. Spurs were without Dele Alli, Mousa Dembele and Victor Wanyama.
Danny Rose only came into the game as a substitute in the last ten minutes for his first appearance since January.
Harry Winks, alongside Eric Dier, looked set to be passed to death up against a midfield of Toni Kroos, Luka Modric and Isco. Genuine high-class ballers.
The Hemel Hempstead Iniesta came out with so much credit you wonder how he could possibly be dropped for Liverpool on Sunday.
Moussa Sissoko finally justified his massive outlay and the decision to keep faith in him. Young Davinson Sanchez was outstanding as a part of a Spurs defence.
On more than one occasion before Pochettino’s arrival, Hugo Lloris has suggested he could leave for a club better equipped to compete at the very top. He now has that club in Spurs. His incredible saves on Tuesday were pivotal to the point that leave them on course for the knockout stages.
One critic suggested to me that it came against a Real side whose start to the season hasn’t been that great. Really? Look at the numbers: One defeat, to Real Betis last month, two draws and ten wins.
Tottenham are showing a steel that Arsenal no longer have. A character not seen at the other end of the Seven Sisters Road for some time. A promise that suggests they can indeed fulfil their massive potential and their desperate wait for major trophy success.
Nobody is saying that they are going to win the Champions League off the back of Tuesday night’s performance. They still have to address the concerns around the financial futures of Kane, Alli and their other top stars.
What is not in doubt, however, is what that performance in Spain will have done for the squad’s belief.
It will have shown them that they can live with the best. That they can go toe to toe with the cream of Europe. That Pochettino is a coach able to improve them to such an extent that they needn’t have any fear.
It will help too in the title race despite suggestions it is all over bar the shouting with City admittedly sensational.
Last time Spurs were in the Champions League, during the 2010/11 season, they reached the quarter-finals. This team is better. Far more exciting. The ride from here on in will be fascinating.