- Tottenham’s unbeaten start to the Premier League ended with defeat to Chelsea
- Home side had two players dismissed and two offside decisions go against them
- CHRIS SUTTON: Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta is a clown – It’s All Kicking Off
Ange Postecoglou has been praised for his post-match interview following Tottenham’s 4-1 loss to Chelsea on Monday night.
The Australian watched his side suffer defeat in the Premier League for the first time in an often chaotic encounter – that included, among other things, two red cards and five disallowed goals – against their bitter London rivals.
Spurs employed a daring tactical approach after Cristian Romero and Destiny Udogie were dismissed that almost resulted in a remarkable result. But Nicolas Jackson’s late hat-trick ultimately sealed all three points for the visitors.
Postecoglou struck an honest and reflective tone in his comments afterwards and refused to blame the officiating following one of the most incident-packed matches in recent times.
‘No, I’ve already said that whatever decision they’ve made, they’ve made.’ The Spurs manager said. ‘At some point, we have to accept the referee’s decision. That’s how I grew up.
‘This constant erosion of referees’ authority, this is what the game is going to get: they will not have any authority, it is going to get diminished and we are going to be in the control of someone a few miles away watching a TV screen.
‘The decision’s the decision – you either accept it or you don’t. Trust me, in 26 years I’ve had plenty of bad ones and I’ve had plenty that have fallen in my favour. It is what it is.’
Postecoglou has been lauded for his genuine appraisal and has drawn comparisons with Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta following his reaction to the Gunners’ 1-0 defeat to Newcastle on Saturday.
The Spaniard launched an astonishing attack on English referees after Anthony Gordon’s winner and labelled the controversial goal an ‘absolute disgrace’.
‘This is nowhere near the [refereeing] level to describe this as the best league in the world.’ The Arsenal boss added. ‘I feel sick to be part of this.’
Mail Sport’s Oliver Holt called the Spurs boss a reflective leader, writing on X, formerly Twitter: ‘Postecoglou’s reaction tonight to decisions that went against him was a striking contrast to Arteta’s on Saturday.
‘Arteta behaved like a petulant, over-entitled child. Postecoglou behaved like an [intelligent], reflective leader. I know which of them I’d want in charge of my club.’
Former England striker Michael Owen wrote: ‘If every manager was this gracious our game wouldn’t be in the mess it is. Managers have a huge responsibility to protect the game instead of whipping their fans up into a frenzy with biased nonsense.’
Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville reacted to another clip of the former Celtic manager that called on Premier League bosses to ‘just focus on managing their football clubs’ with the message: ‘Class’.
Neville and his Sky colleague Jamie Carragher had earlier in the week criticised Arsenal for their club statement on Sunday that backed Arteta’s rant. It was the second of its kind this term after Liverpool demanded ‘escalation and resolution’ in response to an error by VAR in their 2-1 defeat to Tottenham in September.
Neville wrote: ‘Arsenal and Liverpool ‘s statements are wrong. Do it privately. Managers and players make far more mistakes than refs!’
‘This is not a moment to jump on the bandwagon with VAR and just batter people at Stockley Park and the officials because that’s not right.’ Said Carragher ahead of the Reds’ game against Luton on Sunday.
Olivia Martin is a dedicated sports journalist based in the UK. With a passion for various athletic disciplines, she covers everything from major league championships to local sports events, delivering up-to-the-minute updates and in-depth analysis.
