Jose Mourinho described Tottenham’s performance as ‘phenomenal’ after seeing his side boost their chances of a top four finish with a 2-0 victory over Manchester City.
Goals from debutant Steven Bergwijn and Son Heung-Min sealed a precious victory for Mourinho’s side at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, the hosts capitalising on their man advantage after Oleksandr Zinchenko was sent off for picking up two largely avoidable bookings.
VAR had earlier taken the headlines after awarding City a delayed penalty following a foul by Serge Aurier on Sergio Aguero, though it would not be the end of the drama as Hugo Lloris saved Ilkay Gundogan’s spot-kick, before being cleared of fouling Raheem Sterling for a second penalty as they raced to the rebound.
Pep Guardiola’s champions would dominate for large periods before Zinchenko’s needless sending off swung the momentum, Spurs scoring with their first shot on goal as Bergwijn opened his account for the club in style, dispatching a well taken volley just after the hour before Son doubled the advantage eight minutes later.
Victory moves Spurs up to fifth and within just four points of Chelsea, and Mourinho could not hide his delight at seeing his side claim a vital three points on a night of enthralling action in the capital.
“I am so pleased for the boys,” Mourinho told Sky Sports.
”We were a bit lucky in a couple of situations, but the other perspective very, very unlucky the VAR did not decide for a Raheem Sterling red card.
“It was a clear red card and completely different game if we played for 75 minutes against 10 men.
“I see other situations where the decision is red. The red card of Son Heung-min against Chelsea.
“The boys were phenomenal. The save was fantastic, God’s will because it was not a penalty.”
Having seen fourth-placed Chelsea drop points with a draw at Leicester on Saturday, victory moved Spurs within range of their London rivals as they bid to secure a top four finish and Champions League qualification.
Fellow top-four contenders Manchester United and Wolves would also share the spoils with a goalless draw at Old Trafford, and whilst Mourinho admits it was a positive weekend for his side in the race to join Europe’s elite, insists his side still face a ‘difficult’ task in securing a top-four finish.
“It is going to be difficult. We are in three competitions. But it was a good weekend for us.”
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