Spurs needed goals from Son Heung-min and Harry Kane in the final 20 minutes to beat their North Macedonian hosts 3-1 and go through to next week's play-off against Maccabi Haifa.

But Mourinho says his goalkeepers noticed the framework at the Tose Proeski Arena in Skopje were too small in height before the match and demanded they were changed.

Mourinho later posted pictures on Instagram of himself almost touching the crossbar while Tottenham goalkeeper Hugo Lloris was easily grabbing the woodwork.

There are no suggestions of foul play from Shkendija as the stadium in the North Macedonian capital is not their home ground.

"Before the game was a funny situation because my goalkeepers told me that the goal was small," Mourinho said.

"I went by myself and of course the goal was small. The goalkeepers, they spend hours and hours and hours in the goal so they know when the goal is not the right dimension.

"I am not a goalkeeper but I know football since I was a kid and I know when I stand there and I spread my arms and I know the distance, so I felt immediately that something was going wrong.

"We got the UEFA delegate to confirm and yes it was 5cm smaller, which of course we demanded for the goals to be replaced for goals of the right dimension."

Spurs could have done with even bigger goals in the first half as they struggled to put the minnows to bed after taking an early lead through Erik Lamela.

And they paid the price early in the second half as Valmir Nafiu's thunderbolt threatened to turn Spurs' evening sour.

But trusted duo Son and Kane, who was brought off the bench, came to the rescue with goals in the final 20 minutes to get the job done.

In other games, Celtic needed a last-minute goal from substitute Mohamed Elyounoussi to edge past Riga while Rangers thrashed Willem II 4-0 away from home.

There were defeats on the road for Motherwell and Aberdeen but Irish champions Dundalk pulled off an away win.

Australian Associated Press