Ange Postecoglou cut a frustrated figure after Spurs lost 1-0 to Chelsea in their London Derby clash in Stamford Bridge on Thursday night.
Chelsea missed a number of chances in the early stages, with Nicolas Jackson hitting the post before Cole Palmer almost forced a breakthrough.
But they finally opened the scoring after 50 minutes when Palmer, who appeared to be back on form after a recent slump, played an inviting cross into the box. World Cup winner Enzo Fernandez guided it into the net with a well-timed header, giving Spurs keeper Vicario no chance.
Chelsea thought they'd made it 2-0 six later when Moises Caicedo rifled to the net after hitting a loose ball first time from the edge of the box, again giving the keeper no chance. But it was ruled out for offside in the build-up after a VAR check, giving Spurs something to cling to.
Postecoglou opted to ring the changes, bringing on Pape Matar Sarr for Lucas Bergvall and Brennan Johnson for Wilson Odobert but these decisions were met with a chorus of boos from the Spurs fans.
"Tell me what's clear and obvious about it mate?!"
Ange Postecoglou is NOT happy with the referee ruling out Pape Matar Sarr's goal 😤 pic.twitter.com/OweJQL2ZXo
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) April 3, 2025
Postecoglou's decision appeared to be justified when Pape Matar Sarr scored from distance just five minutes after coming on. The manager was deemed to have cupped his ears in the direction of the Spurs fans in response, before waving at them, but his joy turned to disappointment as the goal was ruled out by VAR.
It took a lengthy check, but the midfielder was deemed to have fouled Caicedo in the build-up, with Chelsea seeing out the victory from there. Speaking to Sky Sports' Patrick Davison after the game, Postecoglou said his gesture was wrongly interpreted.
"Jesus mate, it’s incredible how things get interpreted," Postecoglou explained.
"We’d just scored, I just wanted to hear them cheer because we’d been through a tough time and I thought it was a cracking goal. I wanted them to get really excited.
"I felt at that point we could potentially go on and win the game. I just felt momentum was on our side."
But the friction between the manager and the supporters remains, and Postecoglou kept his distance from the away end after the game.
"It doesn’t bother me, it’s not the first time they’ve booed my substitutions or my decisions, that’s fine. They’re allowed to do that, but we’d just scored a goal, just scored an equaliser, I was just hoping we could get some excitement.
"If people want to read into that that somehow I’m trying to make a point about something, like I said, we’d been through a tough time, but I just felt there was a bit of a momentum shift there. If they get really behind the lads, I thought we had the momentum to finish on top of them."
Postecoglou then said VAR is 'killing the game,' reflecting on the six minutes it took to rule out Sarr's goal.
"It’s killing the game, it’s not the same game it used to be," Postecoglou started.
🗣️ "It's the hardest job in the world!"
Jamie Redknapp suggests Ange Postecoglou maybe needs support. pic.twitter.com/IYiV02aIeZ
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) April 3, 2025
"How long did it take tonight? Six minutes. For a clear and obvious error. Like whether it is a foul or not, who cares if it is a foul or not. There are so many incidents that are very similar out there, but now they are saying, ‘this one is a goal’.
"What is the point of having a referee then? Like clear and obvious to me is you go to the screen and say, ‘oh my God I’ve missed that’ but standing around for so long?"
