Published 11:31 IST, July 3rd 2020
Mourinho fumes after Spurs' 1-3 defeat against Sheffield United, lashes out at VAR
Tottenham Hotspur manager Jose Mourinho could not hide his anger after his side's 1-3 defeat vs Sheffield United, coupled with the usual VAR controversy.
Jose Mourinho's Tottenham Hotspur suffered a major setback against Sheffield United, losing 3-1 at Bramall Lane this week. The game was marred by some pesky Video Assistant Referee (VAR) controversy yet again, drawing a typical Mourinho reaction, raising doubts on the efficacy of the technology in the Premier League.
Tottenham vs Sheffield highlights: Mourinho reaction after defeat at Bramall Lane
Mourinho questioned the point of having referees on the pitch and claimed that "VAR was bad for the game" after his side's defeat. The manager could not hide his anguish after Harry Kane's purported equaliser was disallowed by the referee. Kane believed that he had equalised mere moments after Sheffield United's opener, but VAR ruled that Lucas Moura had handled the ball during the buildup to the goal, thus nullifying the striker's effort.
Mourinho asserted that the referee should be the man on the pitch, implying he should take stringent decisions according to his understanding. He lashed out at the referee saying that he wasn't good at his task on the field, asserting that the game was headed in the wrong direction, largely due to the referee's decision.
Tottenham vs Sheffield highlights: Harry Kane's goal ruled out
Mourinho's side suffered a major setback in the game when in the 31st minute Sander Berge opened the scoring for Sheffield United after some brilliant teamwork. Harry Kane appeared to have equalised mere minutes later but his effort was ruled out by VAR. The decision saw Mourinho expressing his displeasure from the bench. Lys Mousset doubled Sheffield's lead in the game in the 69th minute after some sloppy defensive play by Tottenham.
Oliver McBurnie made it three for Sheffield in the 84th minute, in a similar effort as the one scored by Mousset earlier, with the Tottenham defence caught off-guard. Although Hary Kane pulled one back in the 90th minute, his side had to lose out on three points, leaving them languishing in ninth in the Premier League standings.
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Tottenham vs Sheffield highlights: Premier League standings after the defeat
Mourinho's side have bagged 45 points in 32 games this season. This was their first defeat since the resumption of the Premier League after a stringent coronavirus-induced lockdown. Tottenham have six games to play in the competition, as they host Everton on Monday (Tuesday according to IST).
Image courtesy: AP
Updated 11:31 IST, July 3rd 2020