A fired-up Ange Postecoglou was involved in a heated touchline with Bournemouth's coaching staff as his side Tottenham romped to a 3-1 win yesterday.
There was push and pull between the two benches after Alejo Veliz had to leave with an injury in the 82nd minute.
Tottenham had used all five of their substitutes when Veliz went down. The attacker tried to continue but was eventually helped off the pitch by medical staff before a fight ensued on the sidelines.
Bournemouth had just pulled a goal back to make it 3–1 when Veliz's injury occurred and manager Andoni Iraola explained that his staff believed Spurs were deliberately wasting time.
Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou was involved in a heated discussion on the sidelines during his side's 3-1 win against Bournemouth on Sunday
Postecoglou collided with Bournemouth's coaching staff and had to be restrained by a member of the Spurs security team
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Assistant boss Shaun Cooper led their protests, prompting an angry response from Postecoglou.
The Australian ran out of his technical area to protest to Cooper but was stopped by a member of Spurs' security team.
Giovanni Le Celso, who had been substituted earlier in the match, was also involved in the confrontation.
He, Cooper and Postecoglou were all booked, but the Tottenham boss played down the incident at full-time.
“I was doing well,” Postecoglou insisted when asked if the incident was the angriest Spurs fans had seen. 'We just wished each other a happy new year and made some resolutions.
'There was a bit of emotion in the match. I was more worried about Alejo because we were trying to get him off the field. Other than me running across the field and physically dragging him off the field, he wasn't going to go down.
“I think the Bournemouth staff thought we were trying to make a substitution, but we knew we didn't have one. It was just about getting him off.”
“It's normal that when you win the game you want to play as little as possible,” Iraola said. 'They had wounded Veliz. It is normal. At 3-1 we put a lot of pressure on.
“It's something you all do when you win. Try to play as little as possible and we have to accept that. We would have done the same. When you're ahead, it's good not to play too much.
'If he is injured, he has to go to the bench. We can't wait because he is injured and doesn't want to sit on the bench. Sometimes you play the game like that – it's normal – and you have to accept it.'
The Tottenham manager played down the altercation after the match, claiming both sides merely wished each other 'a happy new year'
The altercation took place after Alejo Veliz had to leave with an injury in the 82nd minute
Despite this, Spurs claimed a big win against the in-form Cherries, with Son Heung-min and Richarlison scoring
Tottenham played the last five minutes with ten players, but Veliz was not the only injury problem for Postecoglou.
Pape Sarr, who opened the scoring in the ninth minute, had to leave the field just before half-time due to a hamstring injury, putting his participation in the African Cup of Nations with Senegal in doubt.
'He is emotional because he wants to leave with his national team. It's a big tournament for them.
“It's kind of the way our season went. He was so good again early in the match, as well as his goal, and then he suffers an injury. Disappointing for him, but I hope it is not too serious and that he can still contribute to his country.'