Speaking to the press after his side demolished Manchester United at Old Trafford, Ange Postecoglou praised his team’s effort levels and the way they controlled the game.
Tottenham dominated United in their backyard
Both teams went into the game feeling a little bit of pressure, perhaps United more so after Spurs had put together a run of three straight wins. But, with questions asked over Postecoglou’s methods, a win was much needed in this big away game.
And his Spurs players duly delivered, with an aggressive, attacking, highly dominant performance. The Lilywhites come away from Old Trafford with a 3-0 win, a crucial three points, and brimming with confidence now.
Tottenham were ahead after just three minutes thanks to yet another Brennan Johnson goal, who made it four in four now.
A red card for Bruno Fernandes close to half-time really did change the game, and the away team came out firing in the second half with Dejan Kulusevski capping an outstanding performance with a brilliant goal to double Tottenham’s advantage.
Then, to round out a perfect away day, Dominic Solanke added a third, to make it three in three for him.
The red card didn’t matter
Manchester United never looked like being in the game, but a lot of the credit for that belongs to Postecoglou and his players.
Speaking to the press (via the BBC) after the match, Postecoglou was clearly happy with what he saw, saying: “I thought it was an outstanding performance.
“We started the game well, scored a great goal and probably should have had two or three. The pressure then overwhelms them and they get the red card. After that, I thought we controlled the game well. Just an outstanding effort from all the lads.
And, when asked about the red card and whether that had an impact, Postecoglou insisted his team were in control anyway.
He added: “I think it was a consequence of how we were going in the game, just putting enormous pressure on them. The amount of chances that we were creating, we weren’t letting them get out of their half. It was a strong all-round performance.”
On building momentum, Postecoglou said: “It helps. I think our performances in the league have been strong all year but we haven’t had that cutting edge.
“Our performances have been good but when you get the wins too that is important, you want the players to think they are getting the rewards for their efforts.”
That has to be the benchmark
Perhaps it’s unrealistic to expect Spurs to play like that every week, but there is really no reason why they can’t match that kind of intensity and ruthlessness for the majority of the season. If we do, we are looking at a pretty special campaign ahead.
It’s amazing how a couple of results can completely change the perception around the club, and this is a proper statement victory that can set you up for success.