sportskeeda
SPURS manager Ange Postecoglou channeled his inner Gladiator while standing firm on his daring tactics.
Tottenham managed to avoid a last-minute upset, securing a thrilling 4-3 win over Manchester United in the Carabao Cup quarter-finals.
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The beleaguered manager faced inquiries from Sky Sports after Spurs’ recent sequence of errors, as they almost let a 3-0 lead slip away.
Nonetheless, he responded boldly to defend his philosophy, invoking the iconic line “Are you not entertained?” from the film Gladiator, famously delivered by the character Maximus, played by his fellow Australian Russell Crowe.
In a chat with Sky, Postecoglou expressed: “I know the punditry studio is likely in turmoil over my strategies.
“I truly value our determination to challenge our rivals.
“Indeed, we complicated matters more than we needed to.
“Are you not entertained?”
Spurs were in control with two goals from Dominic Solanke and another from Dejan Kulusevski.
However, substitute goalkeeper Fraser Forster instigated panic with two critical misjudgments, resulting in a nail-biting finale.
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Initially, United substitute Joshua Zirkzee scored after intercepting a stray pass from Forster, followed by Amad Diallo, who blocked another clearance to narrow the gap to 3-2 with 20 minutes to go.
At that juncture, Postecoglou’s squad was precariously positioned, but captain Son Heung-min scored directly from a corner with only two minutes remaining, despite protests from Altay Bayindir.
This ensured that Jonny Evans’ header in stoppage time was just a consolation as Spurs, reduced to 10 men, advanced to the semi-finals to face Liverpool, making significant progress towards clinching their first trophy since 2008.
Tottenham goalkeeper Vicario was seen confronting his teammates in the stands following the errors against Man Utd
Postecoglou remarked: “We executed our plan excellently, fully in command.
“This reflects our season; we’ve imposed unnecessary stress on ourselves and had to battle to regain our composure.
“The conclusion was more strenuous than it should have been, but I can’t overlook the fact that this group of players is excelling in navigating this situation.
“We’ve reached the semi-finals of a cup competition, which is a significant marker of our advancement, and now we have a chance, both home and away, to reach a final, and we’ve earned this opportunity.”
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Ruben Amorim suffered his third defeat with Manchester United but voiced no objections regarding Tottenham’s fourth goal.
“I don’t comment on referees, and I won’t start now,” Amorim stressed.
“The team delivered an outstanding performance to make a comeback; we were so close to equalizing, which could have altered the game, but that fourth goal was quite tough for us.”
