Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino holds hope Christian Eriksen will extend his contract at the club after the midfield talisman scored a crucial winner against Brighton & Hove Albion on Tuesday. 

Eriksen's 88th-minute goal secured a 1-0 win and spared Spurs' blushes at home as they look to finish among the Premier League's top four. The Dane is out of contract in June 2020, but Pochettino hailed his midfielder and told reporters he hopes an agreement will be reached to prolong his stay, via Omnisport: 

The manager said:

"It is a very special situation. Christian is a special person. I think we are all special, different and we need to understand that.

"The timing for him or for the club to be agreeing something are maybe different to another player. I hope and I wish Christian can be with us in the future, but I think Christian and us, we are so open to talking and we will see what happens.

Pochettino added: "I think it is so close to the end of the season, [there is] a lot of time to talk after. and I think the most important thing now, not only for him, is for all the players to be focused and try to achieve the things we want."

The north Londoners are settling in their new home at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium but could face a struggle to retain key players if they mark an 11th consecutive season without winning any silverware.

It wasn't the first time this season that Eriksen has had a match-deciding impact for his outfit, and he showed terrific calm under pressure to wrap up three points, via ESPN FC (U.S. only):

Eriksen's goal lifted Tottenham back up to third in the standings, a crucial push after Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester United each failed to win in their last league outings.

They've also reached the UEFA Champions League semi-finals for the first time in their history and will face Ajax in the next stage.

Last year, Tottenham became the first team to not make a summer signing since the transfer window was introduced. If they're to capitalise on their European run and the new stadium to draw the biggest names this summer, it would help their cause to have the current lineup committed to the cause.

Football writers Oliver Holt and Daniel Storey complimented Eriksen following his latest intervention for Pochettino's side:

The 27-year-old will soon enter the peak years of his career and is seemingly weighing up his options before signing what could be a major contract.

Squawka highlighted one area in which Eriksen is the man to beat among Premier League players:

Tottenham's end to the season could have the final say on whether Eriksen pens new terms in north London, and a Champions League trophy could be one route to locking down their talisman.