Tottenham Hotspur head coach Jose Mourinho was left raging by the decision of the officials not to award his side a penalty in Thursday night’s 0-0 draw at Bournemouth, insisting that ‘everybody in the world’ could see it should have been given.
Spurs talisman Harry Kane appeared to be bundled over in the penalty area by Bournemouth forward Joshua King. But on-field referee Paul Tierney was un-moved by the appeal, nor did VAR official Michael Oliver see fit to intervene and overrule.
“The game had the most important moment - you know when, you know who - and I don’t want to say anything more in relation to that because everyone knows and I don’t need to say much more. Everybody knows," Mourinho told Sky Sports after the final whistle.
“The same referee that was the VAR against Sheffield United,” he added.
“In the world, everybody knows that is a penalty. And I say everybody, I mean everybody. It's not just my opinion, everyone in the world, everybody knows that is a penalty. And when I say everybody, I say everybody, everybody.”
Only a week ago, Mourinho had strong words about VAR after Spurs were beaten 3-1 by Sheffield United. Kane had a goal disallowed in that game, for which Oliver was also the VAR official, following a review for a harsh handball called against a falling Lucas Moura.
On that occasion he slated VAR for taking too much power and control from on-field officials.
Had Spurs been given the penalty and taken the lead against Bournemouth, who were on a run of five consecutive defeats prior to kick-off and staring relegation in the face, Mourinho insists it would have been a ‘completely different’ game.
As it was, Spurs badly struggled against a side in horrific form. Even with 85 minutes left to play after the penalty appeals were waved away, they failed to muster even a single shot on target, despite dominating possession - and were heavily criticised for lacking any imagination.
Spurs were often quite bad defensively in the first few months of the season but they never looked quite so pathetically unimaginative and impotent as they have in the last few games. There just seems to be no plan at all.
— James Maw (@JamesTMaw) July 9, 2020
It’s just such witless football. There are no ideas at Tottenham, they’re just a team getting worse in every area.
— Seb Stafford-Bloor (@SebSB) July 9, 2020
That Spurs game gives England vs Algeria a run for its money as Worst Game Ever™️
— Hunter Godson (@HunterGodson) July 9, 2020
Spurs will continue to scrap it out with Arsenal, Sheffield United and Wolves for the three Europa League places on offer this season, but hopes of a fifth successive year in the Champions League are over just a year after reaching the 2019 final of the competition.
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Source : 90min