Published 17:45 IST, February 20th 2020
Jose Mourinho launches extraordinary 'gun without bullets' rant after Tottenham's defeat
Jose Mourinho has refused to write off Tottenham’s hope of reaching Champions League quarter-finals when his side visit Julian Nagelsmann’s side in Leipzig.
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Tottenham Hotspur skipper Hugo Lloris produced an inspirational performance against RB Leipzig on Wednesday (Thursday IST), but couldn't prevent his team from losing 0-1 to the German side in the first leg of their Round of 16 Champions League tie. RB Leipzig striker Timo Werner's penalty proved to be the difference between these sides.
Tottenham vs RB Leipzig: Jose Mourinho rant
A Jose Mourinho rant followed in the post-match interview after Tottenham Hotspur's loss. Jose Mourinho, in the interview, refused to write off Tottenham’s hope of reaching the Champions League quarter-finals when his side visits Julian Nagelsmann’s side in Leipzig on March 10 for the second leg He guaranteed that Tottenham is going to fight for a win in the return leg of the Champions League match against Leipzig.
Jose Mourinho rant: Manager speaks on Moura and Bergwijn performances
With strikers Harry Kane and Son Heung-min out for the season with their respective injuries, Tottenham had Lucas Moura and Steven Bergwijn playing upfront. Speaking about their performance, Jose Mourinho said that what people saw, in the end, were two very tired players. The two of them are the only strikers the team has to play against Chelsea. He stressed on the fact that the thing that keeps him confident in the current situation is the spirit and the mentality of his players.
Talking about the current situation, Jose Mourinho said that Spurs are going to a fight with a gun without bullet and what worries him is that the current situation will remain as it is until the end of the season.
Jose Mourinho rant: Tottenham coach downplays incident
The Tottenham vs RB Leipzig match witnessed Tottenham midfielder Dele Alli throwing a water bottle and one of his boots to the turf after being taken off midway through the second half. Reacting to the entire incident, Jose Mourinho said that Ali was angry with his performance, not with him. He said that the team's performance improved once Ali was benched.
UCL results: Tottenham vs RB Leipzig highlights
Leipzig made a fast start to the game with Timo Werner hitting the post in the opening two minutes. The German side dominated the match at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and could have taken the lead through Werner, but Hugo Lloris made a fine save to deny the German striker.
RB Leipzig's pressure paid off in the second half after Ben Davies brought down Konrad Laimer inside the box. Werner dispatched the resulting penalty to give the visitors the lead. Leipzig failed to double their lead after Patrik Schick shot was saved by Lloris. Spurs grew into the game in the final 20 minutes but failed to force an equaliser.
17:45 IST, February 20th 2020