Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou hails ‘outstanding performance’ against Man United and says red card shown to Bruno Fernandes was a consequence of the ‘enormous pressure’ his side were piling on
Tottenham Hotspur manager Ange Postecoglou was delighted with his team’s ‘excellent performance’ in Sunday’s 3-0 win over Manchester United.
Brennan Johnson, Dejan Kulusevski and Dominic Solanke all found the net for Spurs, who could easily have won by a bigger margin after registering a total of 24 shots.
Two of Tottenham’s goals came after Bruno Fernandes was sent off for a challenge on James Maddison in the 42nd minute, which was deemed serious foul play.
Fernandes said after the match that it was ‘never a red card’ and claimed Maddison agreed with him on the pitch.
But Postecoglou believed the send-off was a result of the ‘enormous pressure’ United players were put under by his team.
Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou was pictured applauding after his team beat Man United 3-0
United captain Bruno Fernandes (right) was sent off just before half-time at Old Trafford
Portuguese playmaker Fernandes was sent off in the 42nd minute for a foul on James Maddison
Postecoglou started his post-match interview with BBC Sports saying, ‘It was an excellent performance. We started the game really well, scored a great goal and probably should have scored two or three.
‘Then I think the pressure becomes overwhelming and they get a red card. After that we had the match very well under control again. An excellent performance by all the boys.
He added: “I think the red card was a result of the way we were going. We just put a huge amount of pressure on them, the amount of chances we created, and we didn’t really let them go. Our football was also good. It was a strong all-round performance.”
Asked about the importance of scoring early and whether it was an important part of his plan, he replied: ‘Yes, you obviously want to do that. [score early] but it doesn’t always happen.
“I told the boys that in our last two games [which were both wins]we conceded against Brentford in the first 20 seconds and then had a man sent off in the first eight minutes [against Qarabag]. So I think it’s about dealing with what you have and that was our fourth win in a row. We have won them in different ways, but have always remained true to the principles we have with our football.’
Brennan Johnson (left) scored the opening goal in the first three minutes of the match
Johnson then set up Dejan Kulusevski (right) for Tottenham’s second goal just after half-time
Striker Dominic Solanke in the photo (center) scored Tottenham’s third and final goal on Sunday
Asked what the momentum he gets from winning four games in a row could mean for his team, Postecoglou said: “It helps. I think our performance in the competition has been very strong all year. We just haven’t had that progressive insight.
‘Of course it helps that we have Dom now [Solanke] back and he’s scoring goals, and Brennan is scoring goals too. So I think our form has been consistent, but when you get the wins… you want them to feel the reward, to get the feeling that they feel now, because in the next game it will take another effort to get us there to get.’
Postecoglou was visibly frustrated by some of his team’s missed chances at Old Trafford. He explained: “I don’t have any complaints, but I’m human, so if we miss changes, we will [frustrating] – more for the players themselves, because we have played incredible football and you want them to get the reward for that. But today no complaints at all.’
