Postecoglou fuming over handball controversy

Tottenham Hotspur head coach Ange Postecoglou described himself as being angrier than at any other point of his career following what he believed was an “unfair” 10th English Premier League defeat of the season.

Postecoglou was furious that Anthony Gordon’s sixth-minute equaliser was allowed to stand for Newcastle, following a handball by Joelinton that went unpunished.

Along with his entire backroom staff, Postecoglou remonstrated wildly against the decision to allow Gordon’s goal to stand. He had barely calmed down when he entered the post-match press conference a couple of hours later.

Postecoglou refused to go into detail over the incident and motioned to leave the press conference when the subject was returned to, but he clearly felt Gordon’s goal should have been disallowed.

“I’m just really, really angry, the angriest I think I have ever been in my career that they were denied the right rewards for a fantastic performance,” Postecoglou said. “I know what everyone wants me to say, but all I’ll say is that on any other day, on a fair and even playing ground, we would have won that game. Simple as that.

“Don’t keep asking me about the decision. If you guys have no opinion about it, that’s fine. I know what my opinion is and, as I said, if that was a different day and it was an even and fair playing ground, we would have won that game.”

Postecoglou was fulsome in his praise of his injury-hit team. Third-choice goalkeeper Brandon Austin made his first appearance for the club and Radu Dragusin could only manage 45 minutes after suffering with an illness in the build-up to the game.

It meant that Spurs played the second half with no recognised centre-backs in front of Austin and Postecoglou added: “It’s unfair on them more than anything else that they didn’t get the rewards today.”