The Independent

As Son Heung-min wheeled away and the Tottenham fans on the South Stand bounced their way into the Carabao Cup semi-finals, it was fitting of this bonkers, breathless tie against Manchester United that the winning goal would come straight from a corner kick. A huge night for Ange Postecoglou, as Spurs moved a step closer to lifting their first trophy since 2008, came with relief as Son’s corner made sure they rescued themselves from embarrassment. “Are you not entertained?” Postecoglou grinned. Aware that there would be criticism of his side’s near-collapse, he was proud of what he saw, too.

Postecoglou and Ruben Amorim chuckled as they fell into each other’s arms at full-time. How could they not after this? Tottenham are through to the semi-finals, where they will face Liverpool over two legs, but this was a tie that evidenced why these teams are currently 10th and 13th and showed how much work both managers have to do. For Postecoglou, at least, his injury-hit side displayed resilience after spectacularly shooting themselves in the foot - twice. Archie Gray, at 18, was remarkable continuing as a makeshift centre-back.

It was incredible that Son’s goal was needed in the first place. “It was self-inflicted,” sighed Postecoglou. “It should have been more comfortable.” From 3-0 up, Tottenham inexplicably let United back into the quarter-final with their insistence on playing out from the back, despite Fraser Forster’s obvious lack of confidence with the ball at his feet. First, a goal-kick was taken along the byline. Forster was caught by Bruno Fernandes, allowing Joshua Zirkzee to tap in. Still, Tottenham played backwards under no pressure. Forster delayed as Amad Diallo slid in, bundling United within sight with 20 minutes left to play.

Facing a collapse, Spurs found resolve without 10 first-team players. “I just still can’t get away from the fact that this group of players is just doing an unbelievable job at the moment to get us through this,” Postecoglou said. “We made it tighter than the game should have been, but I’m still so proud of the players’ efforts.” Postecoglou picked as strong a side as he could manage given Tottenham’s injuries, while Amorim left Marcus Rashford at home for the second game in a row. The heat would have been on Postecoglou again had Spurs messed this up, but his players are fighting for him through a difficult period.

Amorim’s side could not find another comeback. Son’s goal killed their fight. Above all, though, this was a bad night for back-up goalkeepers. Altay Bayindir flapped as Son’s cross sailed over his head, the second goal he had been at fault for. He did not cover himself in glory on his first appearance under Amorim, and may still be appealing to referee John Brookes. That Bayindir’s weak effort to parry set up Dominic Solanke’s opener means four goals of the seven here came down to goalkeeping mistakes. Lisandro Martinez contributed a couple more errors, with woeful defending.

Amorim’s side had started to grow into the contest before half time, yet just 46 seconds after the restart United switched off and then unravelled, conceding another. “We disconnected for eight minutes. It was hard to recover from that,” admitted Amorim. He denied there was wider chaos, believing that United were largely in control. “I think during almost all the game, we were controlling things,” Amorim said. “Playing the same way, trying to find the spaces and I can feel it. I saw a team that knows what it wants to do. I could not see the chaos in my team.”

But within those eight minutes in the second half, Spurs scored twice. Dejan Kulusevski thrashed Tottenham into a two-goal lead in a display of assertiveness that United sorely lacked. The build-up from Spurs was swift, flying out from kick-off as James Maddison raced around the outside and crossed low. Martinez whiffed at the clearance. Kulusevski punished him. Martinez was then exposed again as Solanke danced through, the Argentine vanishing as he backed into the box and the striker found the corner through Jonny Evans’ legs. Solanke was impressive here, amid the wider mayhem.

Right from the start, this was a quarter-final that came down to who was sharp and who was not. Even Amorim, exasperated and crouching on the touchline, was slow in his changes. Diallo, Zirkzee and Kobbie Mainoo were stripped and ready to come on as Solanke scored the third. Bayindir’s first touch was to push Pedro Porro’s shot into danger, in a weak parry from the goalkeeper as Solanke pounced. It was a bad goal to concede for the collective, too. The United defence was caught sleeping on the 18-yard line when Solanke was alert.

United were buried at 3-0. Forster gave them hope. But then Bayindir bailed him out. As Son’s corner swung in, the Turkey international crumbled under the ball and the slightest contact from Lucas Bergvall. Bayindir looked towards Brookes in hope. There was no reprieve, and it was quickly glossed over anyway. Amorim made a vow afterwards to not talk about refereeing decisions. And there was still time for Tottenham to concede another goal from a corner, which came after Pape Matar Saar needlessly ballooned a cross behind. Evans headed the seventh goal in stoppage-time. Entertained? Absolutely. At least Amorim and Postecoglou could laugh it off.

Liveupdated

Tottenham Hotspur survived a furious Manchester United comeback to reach the Carabao Cup semi-finals with a 4-3 victory in a chaotic tie

Ange Postecoglou’s side were cruising against a lacklustre United with Dominic Solanke’s double and a goal for Dejan Kulusevski putting them 3-0 up after 54 minutes.

But the home crowd were left chewing their fingernails as two terrible mistakes by goalkeeper Fraser Forster allowed substitutes Joshua Zirkzee and Amad Diallo to give United hope.

There were still 20 minutes left when Diallo made it 3-2 and United were close to equalising on several occasions before Son Heung-min deceived United keeper Altay Bayindir directly from a corner to seemingly seal it. Jonny Evans ensured a nervy finish by heading a third goal for the visitors in stoppage time but Spurs clung on.

The big news before kick-off was that Marcus Rashford wass not in the United squad just days after he gave an interview saying he is ready for a “new challenge” away from the club. Amorim dropped Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho from his squad to face Manchester City last weekend and although Garnacho appeared from the bench against Spurs, Rashford didn’t travel to London for the clash.

Relive all the Carabao Cup action with our live blog below:

Pinned

Self-inflicted drama reveals a Tottenham truth amid Manchester United chaos

As Son Heung-min wheeled away and the Tottenham fans on the South Stand bounced their way into the Carabao Cup semi-finals, it was fitting of this bonkers, breathless tie that the winning goal against Manchester United would come straight from a corner kick. A huge night for Ange Postecoglou, as Spurs moved a step closer to lifting their first trophy since 2008, came with palpable relief as Son’s corner made sure they rescued themselves from extraordinary embarrassment. Ruben Amorim’s side could not find another comeback.

Above all, though, this was a bad night for back-up goalkeepers. Altay Bayindir flapped as Son’s cross sailed over his head, the second goal he had been at fault for. He did not cover himself in glory on his first appearance under Amorim, and may still be appealing to referee John Brookes. Meanwhile, Fraser Forster’s efforts with the ball at his feet ensured another two goals of the seven at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium came down to goalkeeping mistakes. Lisandro Martinez contributed a couple more errors, with woeful defending.

Read Jamie Braidwood’s full report from a madcap quarter-final in north London:

Self-inflicted drama reveals a Tottenham truth amid Manchester United chaos

Tottenham Hotspur 4-3 Manchester United: Spurs recovered from Fraser Forster’s mistakes in a breathless tie as Ange Postecoglou’s side reached the semi-finals

Luke Baker19 December 2024 22:36

‘It’s one to look forward to’: Postecoglou on semi-final

Ange Postecoglou was delighted with his players after winning a highly entertaining Carabao Cup quater-final against Manchester United.

“I can’t speak highly enough of this group of players,” he said. “Again tonight we had 10 players from our list unavailable for one reason or another. We had a day’s rest less than Man United.

“We are not just getting through games, we are still maintaining our level of football. As I keep saying, we will get to some smoother waters at some point but this period is going to see us have enormous growth.

“We played so well, well in control of the game. It’s the way our season has gone a little bit, we self-inflicted some pain on ourselves and then we had to scramble to get a foothold again.

“It should have been a lot more comfortable than it ended up being but having said that, I still can’t get away from the fact this group of players is doing an unbelievable job at the moment to get us through this.

“We’re in a semi-final of a cup competition, so I think that’s something to reflect this progress for us and we’ve got an opportunity now, home and away to get to a final and we’ve earned that opportunity.

“It’s one to look forward to, but we’ve got important games starting this week, starting Sunday (against Liverpool), that we’ve still got to get through and the mentality the boys are showing at the moment, we’re going to tackle these games in the same way we’ve tackled the ones in recent times.”

Jamie Braidwood20 December 2024 09:31

Ruben Amorim says Marcus Rashford has a future at Man Utd

Ruben Amorim on Marcus Rashford after leaving the forward out of his squad for a second game in a row.

“Tomorrow we have training, he will be there preparing for next game. He is a United player, everyone has a future at Man United.”

Jamie Braidwood20 December 2024 08:31

Carabao Cup semi-final draw

So, here’s the full draw (all two games of it...), with the teams listed first having the home leg first. Remember, the semi-finals will be played over two legs across the week commencing 6 January and the week commencing 3 February. The winners will battle it out at Wembley Stadium in the final on 16 March.

Arsenal v Newcastle

Tottenham v Liverpool

Jamie Braidwood20 December 2024 07:32

‘He’s a big boy mate’

Ange Postecolgou on Fraser Forster, who provided unnecessary drama with two careless errors.

From 3-0 up, Tottenham inexplicably let United back into the quarter-final with their insistence on playing out from the back, despite Forster’s obvious lack of confidence with the ball at his feet.

First, a goal-kick was taken along the byline. Attempting to find Radu Dragusin, Forster was caught by Bruno Fernandes, allowing Joshua Zirkzee to tap in.

Still, Tottenham played backwards under no pressure. Forster delayed as Amad Diallo slid in, bundling United within sight with 20 minutes left to play.

“He is disappointed because he was outstanding for us,” Postecoglou said. “The first one probably affected his confidence a little bit and he lost a bit of belief and the second one compounded it, but he is a big boy mate and he is another one who has stood up for us big time in this period.”

Jamie Braidwood20 December 2024 06:31

Ruben Amorim defends Manchester United ‘control’ amid ‘chaos'

In his press conference, Ruben Amorim admitted that Manchester United “disconnected for eight minutes” in the second half but said that his team were better than Tottenham for most of the game.

“I didn’t feel like it was [chaotic],” he said after the 4-3 defeat. “The 8 minutes of the second half was like that because we were losing a lot of balls in transitions. But I thinl we were controlling things during almost all the game, playing the same way, trying to find the spaces. I can feel it.

“For the fans it was like that [chaotic] because there’s a lot of goals and one team is recovering from 3-0, but I saw a team that knows what what we what we want to do and so it was not chaotic in my opinion. I could not see the chaos in my team.”

Jamie Braidwood20 December 2024 05:39

Ruben Amorim will ‘never speak about referees’ despite Spurs goal

Ruben Amorim made a promise not to speak about referees despite Tottenham’s controversial fourth goal of their win against Manchester United.

Amorim suffered the third defeat of his United tenure but had no issue with Tottenham’s fourth, despite protestations from Altay Bayindir.

“I never speak about referee’s and I will not start now,” Amorim insisted. “I will try to maintain that for a long time.”

“The lads did a great job to recover and we were so near the draw, so near and it could make the difference because we still have time to win the game, but then the fourth goal was really hard for us.”

Jamie Braidwood20 December 2024 04:32

'We could have dealt with the game better’

Dominic Solanke said it was important for Tottenham to stick together and come back against Manchester United after Fraser Forster’s mistakes.

“Being 3-0 up we could have dealt with the game better, killed some time but we made it hard for ourselves, but the important thing is we won and we’re through,” the two-goal striker to Sky.

“That’s football sometimes, we stick together. Mistakes are a part of football, we dug in, we showed spirit and got the job done.

“Scoring against a team like United is great but the most important thing is to win today and getting to the semi-final.”

Jamie Braidwood20 December 2024 03:31

‘Are you not entertained?’ Postecoglou praises Tottenham’s spirit

“I like the whole game. Are you not entertained? I know the studio is probably having a meltdown over my lack of tactics,” Postecoglou told Sky Sports.

“We’ve got so many absences at the moment, centre halves, kids on the bench. If we get through the period we’re going to get enormous growth out of it.

“I really liked how we played tonight, obviously those moments tainted it a bit and that has happened this season before and it doesn’t help our consistency, but the mentality of the boys... I love it.”

Jamie Braidwood20 December 2024 02:32

Ange Postecoglou hails injury-hit Tottenham after win over Man Utd

Ange Postecoglou saluted his injury-hit squad after Tottenham Hotspur avoided a late wobble to edge out Manchester United 4-3 in a rip-roaring Carabao Cup quarter-final tie.

Spurs were in cruise control when Dominic Solanke rifled home his second in the 54th minute to add to his first-half opener and Dejan Kulusevski’s effort 46 seconds into the second half.

Tottenham’s back-up goalkeeper Fraser Forster pressed the self-destruct button, though, as his two errors set up a nervy finale.

Ange Postecoglou hails injury-hit Tottenham after win over Man Utd

Spurs were without 10 players but held on despite a second-half collapse to set up a two-legged semi-final against Liverpool.

Jamie Braidwood20 December 2024 01:39

Russell Martin has been sacked by Southampton less than two hours after the club’s 5-0 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League.

The Saints conceded five first-half goals at home with defeat leaving the club bottom of the Premier League table and nine points from safety.

In a statement, Southampton said it was a “difficult” decision to part ways with Martin, who guided them to Championship promotion through the play-offs last season after arriving from Swansea.

But Southampton have just one win in 16 games on their return to the top-flight and their poor season continued with another horror display at home to Spurs.

Martin remained fiercely committed to his expansive style of play despite Southampton’s struggles, and it again backfired as Spurs raced into a three-goal lead after 14 minutes.

Some Southampton supporters were seen heading for the exits soon after and those who remained were heard calling for their manager to be sacked throughout the first half.

Although Martin later insisted that he would “keep fighting” as boss, those Southampton fans have been granted their wish as a statement from the club soon followed.

Southampton said: “We can confirm that we have taken the difficult decision to part ways with our men’s first team manager, Russell Martin.

“Going into the start of the season, we all knew the challenges that we would face this year as we readjusted to life in the top flight, competing in the best and most competitive league in the world.

“However, the reality of our situation is clear. The board have supported Russell and his staff and been open and transparent regarding our expectations.

“We have all been on the same page in recognising the urgency of needing results to improve.

“We would like to take this opportunity to thank Russell and his staff for all the hard work and dedication they have given the club on and off the pitch over the last 18 months.

“Everyone connected with Southampton FC will always have fantastic memories of last season, especially the Play-Off Final win in May.”

Martin is the second Premier League manager to be sacked this weekend, after Gary O’Neil was dismissed by Wolves with the club in 19th position.

Southampton said under-21s manager Simon Rusk will take charge on an interim basis while the club searches for a permanent replacement.

Rusk will take charge ahead of Wednesday’s Carabao Cup quarter-final at home to Premier League leaders Liverpool. Southampton then travel to Fulham on Sunday.

Martin had actually missed Tottenham’s fifth goal at St Mary’s in first-half stoppage time after he headed for the dressing room to sort out his team talk early.

He had appeared to be defiant when asked if he expected to be sacked following the defeat, replying: “Not a clue, mate. Not a clue. You’re asking the wrong person.

“I’ve done nothing but (fight) in my life and my career, so, we’ll keep working and keep fighting until I am told I am not going to any more.

“The fans have been amazing for us since we’ve been here since day one. I understand the frustration. I understand the modern world of football and what it is, what it is about. Apart from that, no real response.

“When I put my ego into it as a manager, it hurts a lot because we work so hard every single day, but it’s not personal. I don’t know them, they don’t know me.

“It’s a criticism of the job I am doing. I understand. I don’t think you can criticise a person when you don’t know them, so it’s a criticism of the job I am doing. Of course that hurts because we work so hard, but I think you have to accept it is part and parcel of football - it is what it is.”

Tottenham Hotspur ran riot on the south coast with James Maddison on target twice to earn Ange Postecoglou a much-needed Premier League victory by a 5-0 score, which only increased the pressure on Southampton head coach Russell Martin.

Spurs were winless in five ahead of this clash at St Mary’s and without nine players, but scored three times inside 14 minutes.

Maddison started the rout after 36 seconds before captain Son Heung-min and Dejan Kulusevski struck in quick succession.

The Saints’ faithful could have been forgiven for getting flashbacks of the 9-0 loss to Leicester in 2019 and turned their anger on under-fire Martin.

Postecoglou’s men were not finished there, with Pape Sarr able to grab a fourth in the 25th minute before Maddison added another in first-half stoppage-time.

It failed to stop Tottenham’s noisy away support repeatedly calling for chairman Daniel Levy to leave the club, but this result – on the club’s first return to Southampton since Antonio Conte’s extraordinary rant in 2023 – moved them within four points of fifth-placed Manchester City.

This was a battle between two head coaches wedded to their attacking philosophy but in desperate need of a victory and Postecoglou handed first league starts to Djed Spence and teenager Lucas Bergvall.

Amid a poor run of form, discontent amongst the Tottenham fanbase had grown with frustration aimed at chairman Levy and chants for him to leave occurred immediately after kick-off.

However, 36 seconds later and Spurs’ travelling support had a goal to celebrate when Maddison fired them in front.

Spence was the architect as he twisted away from Flynn Downes and played through to Maddison, who fired under the fit-again Alex McCarthy in the Saints goal.

More chants of ‘Levy out’ followed before Tottenham made it 2-0 in the 12th minute.

Again Maddison was involved with his deep cross flicked on to Son at the back post and the Spurs captain rifled home his 13th goal against Southampton.

The home supporters had already turned on Martin by this stage, but worst followed two minutes later when the visitors grabbed a third.

Son’s cross was only partially cleared by Jan Bednarek and Kulusevski was first to the loose ball to fire home for 3-0.

It was turning into a nightmare experience for Martin with Southampton fans singing he would be ‘sacked in the morning’ and he responded by bringing off Kamaldeen Sulemana.

Sulemana was not happy and tried to engage with Martin on the touchline, but it failed to stem the tide as Tottenham claimed a fourth in the 25th minute.

More good work by Son saw him pass into Sarr, who twinkle-toed past substitute Nathan Wood and slid the ball home.

Postecoglou’s joy dampened slightly when left-back Destiny Udogie limped off before the hosts should have pulled one back five minutes before half-time but Adam Armstrong sent an effort wide following Ryan Manning’s cross.

A small section of Southampton supporters had already headed for the exit and Martin walked down the tunnel with a minute of first-half stoppage time left, which meant he missed Spurs’ fifth goal.

Son produced a sublime pass with the outside of his boot and Maddison cut inside Mateus Fernandes before he arrowed into the top corner.

It was Son’s last involvement as he was replaced at half-time with Thursday’s Carabao Cup last-eight tie with Manchester United in mind.

Armstrong fizzed an effort wide soon after for Saints but, predictably, the second half was played at a more pedestrian pace.

Kyle Walker-Peters, Wood and Tyler Dibling went close for Southampton before Mateus Fernandes headed in with 11 minutes left, but it was ruled out for offside as Tottenham consigned the league’s bottom club to a heavy loss.

Follow live coverage as Southampton face Tottenham Hotspur today in the Premier League. Another top-flight season will be covered in full right here with The Independent, as reigning champions Manchester City look to make it an unprecedented five titles in a row come the end of 2024/25.

The likes of Arsenal and Liverpool will be chasing Pep Guardiola's side, but just as fascinating will be the race for Champions League places, with more teams than ever before having designs on top-four finishes. Chelsea remain big-spending, Manchester United's latest rebuild continues and both Tottenham and Newcastle will expect improvements this year - yet it was Aston Villa who snared fourth last term.

Meanwhile, it's Southampton, Leicester City and Ipswich Town who made it back to the elite after promotion last year and each will have hope they can make it more than a one-year stay. Follow the latest live action from the Premier League below:

The Premier League will stage two 7pm kick-offs this Sunday evening when Chelsea host Brentford and Tottenham travel to Southampton.

Both matches were rescheduled to Sunday due to Chelsea and Tottenham’s participation in Europe on Thursday night - but supporters are unhappy with the evening kick-off slot.

The Premier League granted Chelsea permission to move their match to 7pm due to Enzo Maresca’s side making the eight-hour, 3,700-mile journey home from Almaty in the south of Kazakhstan on Thursday, following the 3-1 win over Astana in the Europa Conference League. Given the extraordinary lengths of Chelsea’s travel, the Premier League allowed the Blues additional time for recovery before hosting Brentford - even though Maresca was able to leave several first-team stars, such as Cole Palmer, at home.

Tottenham will also kick-off at the same time when Ange Postecoglou’s side go to Southampton. The meeting of Postecoglou and Russell Martin - in what promises to be an entertaining, high-wire clash of two attack-minded coaches, dubbed the ‘Principles of Play’ derby - was selected for live broadcast by TNT Sports.

However, with Spurs facing Rangers at Ibrox in the Europa League on Thursday night, the broadcaster’s usual 12:30pm kick-off slot on Saturday afternoon could not be used. And, as Sky Sports are already showing matches in their usual times of 2pm and 4:30pm on Sunday, TNT were left with 12pm and 7pm to choose from. As Chelsea were able to say they needed more preparation time after travelling back from Kazakhstan, Spurs could say that the 12pm option was not suitable due to their game in Glasgow.

The 7pm Sunday slot is unusual and was initially only introduced as a “contingency” option. It was used on an almost weekly basis during the 2020/21 Covid season, which was played behind closed doors and with every match on TV due to fans not being able to attend games, but the Football Supporters’ Association has warned that it is being turned to more and more. For instance, Manchester United’s trip to Fulham on Sunday 26 January has also been moved to 7pm. Another United away match, at Everton on the weekend of 22/23 February, may also be moved to Sunday night, depending on whether they are involved in a play-off for the Europa League knock-out rounds.

“The Sunday evening kick-off slot is really unpopular with match-goers as public transport options are limited and it’s no good for families with young kids,” an FSA spokesperson said. “When the general slot was announced the Premier League told us it was a ‘contingency’ - but it seems to be getting used an awful lot for such a provision.

“A big part of the problem is allowing broadcasters to choose ‘conditional’ picks which are then moved when a team progresses in Europe. The Premier League puts broadcasters first by allowing them to select such games knowing full well conditional picks are very likely to be rescheduled again.”

The rise of 7pm kick-offs can also be put down to the expansion of Uefa competitions this season. The increase of Champions League and Europa League fixtures, with two extra games in the initial league phase, has added to an already packed schedule for the top clubs who are starting to find that the Premier League are more receptive to offering more recovery time. There is now a “rest period” of at least 60 hours between games over the festive period, while teams who play away fixtures in the Champions League on a Wednesday night are now granted to play on Saturday evening rather than the 12:30pm slot famously opposed by former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp, who called them a “crime”.

The clubs, though, naturally want more rest periods. Tottenham would have had 62 hours between playing at Ibrox and facing Southampton at St Mary’s, if the kick-off time on the Sunday was at 12pm. Manchester United would have been handed the same turnaround time next month between hosting Rangers and travelling to south London to meet Fulham, but they were also able to push their Sunday kick-off back to 7pm.

It will come as a cost to fans, with the last train back to Manchester leaving long before the full-time whistle is blown, although the club are set to subsidise coach travel. If that move signals an usual set of circumstances, it also feels as if this is the start of a normalisation of a wider trend.

The new Women's Super League marks the start of a new era for reigning champions Chelsea, with long-serving boss Emma Hayes having departed in summer to start a new adventure with the USA Women's team.

Last year they just about did enough to claim the title on goal difference ahead of Manchester City, while Arsenal will again hope to make it a three-horse race for the WSL title. Meanwhile Liverpool, Manchester United and Tottenham will hope to progress after further rebuilding this summer.

Crystal Palace were promoted to replace Bristol City in the top flight, while on a wider note, the league is now under the management and operation of a new organisation set up to lead women's football towards further growth and progression, with Nikki Doucet overseeing both the WSL and Championship in a new phase for the game.

Follow the live action below as Brighton & Hove Albion face Tottenham Hotspur today in the WSL:

Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou recognises his squad are in the middle of an “extraordinary situation” but has urged them to set up a big second half of the season.

Spurs travel to Southampton on Sunday without nine players and after being forced to deep dig to earn a 1-1 draw at Rangers in the Europa League.

Thursday’s point in Glasgow keeps Tottenham in the mix to clinch a top-eight finish when their European campaign resumes in January, but Postecoglou’s immediate focus is on a crunch week for the club.

A trip to St Mary’s is followed by a midweek Carabao Cup quarter-final at home to Manchester United before Premier League leaders Liverpool visit on December 22.

While injury-hit Spurs have registered only one victory in their last eight matches, Postecoglou called on his depleted squad to embrace the challenge.

Postecoglou said: “I’m interested in what happens now. Now is the time we have an opportunity. In these next five games between now and new year we can set up our season.

“(Thursday) was a great point for us because it sets us up for Europe, so we know we’re going to (try to) make the knock-out stages.

“Now we have four league games to get ourselves back up the ladder and make an impact. We’ve got a massive Carabao Cup quarter-final to get to a semi-final. I’m not interested in anything else beyond that.

“It is an extraordinary situation we are in. Where we are squad-wise with the injuries we have and what we ask our players to do, these are extraordinary circumstances.

Tottenham’s list of nine absentees has put a strain on the rest of the squad, especially given Postecoglou’s relentless attacking philosophy.

Destiny Udogie tops Spurs’ list of minutes played this season ahead of Pedro Porro and Brennan Johnson. All three started at Rangers and produced mixed displays, but are likely to be included in Postecoglou’s starting line-up at Southampton.

Yet the Tottenham head coach explained why he will not tone down his front-foot style of play.

“How much do you dilute for the situation you’re in? I always think about these things,” Postecoglou reflected.

“What’s the long-term effect? It may relieve some short-term pain, but if that means that people lose belief and conviction in what we’re trying to do, because we have found an alternative path that alleviates that short-term stuff, I don’t think that’s healthy and get us where we want to.

“I have always, in difficult moments, thought that if you stick true to everything you’ve said from the first day and you get through it, then there is nothing holding you back.

“If you change paths, what’s to say players or even staff won’t then question further down the track, ‘well that worked back then let’s change, this doesn’t work, let’s change again’ and then you get into that cycle again. It’s a fine line.”

A dilemma for Postecoglou at Southampton is who replaces Yves Bissouma at the base of midfield. Lucas Bergvall appears in the driving seat to make a first Premier League start after strong cameos in the number six position against Chelsea and Rangers.

Postecoglou added: “I think he’s made a real impact in the last two games he has come on with his calmness and better understanding of the way we want to play.

“He has done really well and with Biss and Rodri (Bentancur) out, he is definitely in the picture for us to use at the weekend.”

Tottenham Hotspur boss Ange Postecoglou did not hold back with his criticism of forward Timo Werner after a 1-1 draw at Rangers in the Europa League.

Spurs arrived in Scotland without a plethora of first-team players and looked set for a third consecutive defeat when Hamza Igamane fired the hosts in front after 47 minutes to help a raucous atmosphere at Ibrox move up a notch.

Ex-Celtic boss Postecoglou had already made his first move at half-time with the introduction of Dejan Kulusevski for Werner after an error-strewn display.

Kulusevski would subsequently rescue a point for Tottenham when he rifled into the bottom corner in the 75th minute after being set up by fellow substitute Dominic Solanke.

A point for the Premier League outfit keeps them ninth in the league phase of the competition and in a strong position to secure a top-eight finish, which earns direct entry through to the last-16, but while Postecoglou called it an “important point,” he was frustrated with RB Leipzig loanee Werner.

“Yeah, just tactical. He wasn’t playing anywhere near the level he should,” Postecoglou said when asked about Werner being withdrawn at the break.

“It’s not acceptable to me. I said that to Timo. He is a senior international, a German international, with the moment we’re in right now, it’s not like we’ve got many options, I need everyone to at least be going out there and trying to give the best of themselves.

“Yeah, his performance in the first half wasn’t acceptable.

“We just need everyone, including him, to be contributing because we don’t have the depth to leave people out if they perform poorly. We need them to play their part and especially the senior guys.

“When I am asking younger guys to do massive jobs, I expect a level of performance from the senior guys and today wasn’t that.”

Injuries in defence meant Postecoglou used versatile 18-year-old Archie Gray at centre-back, but the summer recruit produced a largely assured display and fellow teenager Lucas Bergvall caught the eye with a second-half cameo off the bench.

Postecoglou said of Gray: “He’s 18, big experience for him and I thought he handled the experience really well.

“As an 18-year-old, in his first year at this level, to play in unfamiliar positions in such big games, it is outstanding what he is doing.

“I thought Lucas was excellent when he came on. He was due to start tonight but wasn’t feeling well today, a bit under the weather, so we had to keep him on the bench, but that’s a positive for us.

“Those two, as 18-year-olds, to already be contributing and experiencing these things will be of enormous benefit to us.”

Spurs required Fraser Forster to be at his best to leave Glasgow with a point after the former Celtic stopper made a brave block to deny Cyriel Dessers late on, which ensures the English club are in a strong position to clinch a top-eight berth with matches against Hoffenheim and Elfsborg in January.

“We weren’t anywhere near our best I think it is fair to say, but at the same time we’re in a period of games where we’re grinding through it with a fairly depleted squad and asking players to get up week in, week out,” Postecoglou acknowledged.

“I thought we worked our way back into the game well and the subs coming on made a difference. We scored a good goal, had a couple of other moments, but in the end, a great save by Frase gets us, in the context of where we are in Europe, an important point.”

PA

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