Tottenham's swaggering 3-1 victory over Real Madrid proves they deserve to be ranked as genuine contenders for the Champions League title, manager Mauricio Pochettino has claimed.

Pochettino's side came of age at Wembley on Wednesday as they delivered a breathtaking display to book their place in the last 16 and hand Madrid their first Champions League group stage defeat in five years.

Dele Alli opened the scoring and bagged a superb second before Christian Eriksen notched Tottenham's killer third, with Cristiano Ronaldo's late strike no consolation for the shell-shocked European champions.

Aware Tottenham hadn't been accepted as one of Europe's elite despite their impressive progress under his management, Pochettino insists there can no longer be any doubt his team are the equal of Real and rest of the Champions League super-powers.

"Obviously this sort of win makes us more visible. It's something everyone around Europe will see," he said.

"You've seen today Tottenham are a big team. We now belong not only among the best teams in England but also in Europe.