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Tottenham came from behind to avoid a shock Carabao Cup upset to Coventry

Postecoglou was pleased with the character his side showed to win 2-1

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Ange Postecoglou acknowledged Tottenham had to hang in there to avoid a Carabao Cup upset at Coventry, but was pleased with their spirit and character after a nervy 2-1 victory.

Spurs were set to follow up Sunday's painful derby defeat to Arsenal with another loss after Brandon Thomas-Asante fired the Sky Bet Championship club into a deserved lead after 63 minutes.

It would have put Postecoglou's post-match comments last weekend about always winning silverware in his second season into sharp focus, but Djed Spence spared his blushes when he levelled with two minutes left.

Spot-kicks were still on the cards until Rodrigo Bentancur played through to Brennan Johnson, who chipped home in the 92nd minute to send Tottenham through and leave their travelling support singing about Wembley.

'We had to hang in there. We had to work really, really hard just to stay in the game and obviously going a goal behind makes it even more challenging,' Postecoglou said.

'At the end there, we showed some real spirit and character, which is probably what's been missing in the first four games.

'We've had the performance, but we haven't had that relentlessness to get a result. You sense that in the last 10 minutes, we got real belief out of that and hopefully that's a good sign moving forward.'

Postecoglou also put his hand up and conceded his side's lack of fluidity came down to making major changes to the starting line-up.

'Look, we weren't very fluent tonight or cohesive,' Postecoglou told Sky Sports.

'When you make a lot of changes, that's on me. We weren't as fluent, certainly performance-wise.

'Some of that is down to Coventry. I thought they were excellent tonight. They played with a real high energy and we had to hang in there for as long as we could.

'At the end I was really pleased for Djed and Brenna because they've come on and made a difference for us and made an impact in the game.'

It could end up being a pivotal victory for Postecoglou, but it was an overall poor night for a much-changed Spurs team.

Coventry almost scored inside 60 seconds but Fraser Forster atoned for a misplaced pass with a fine save to deny Jack Rudoni.

Tottenham dominated possession but failed to create chances and Rudoni had another effort blocked by Destiny Udogie before Norman Bassette fired over.

After no first half shot and a smattering of boos at the break, Postecoglou sent on Spence and Johnson did have a shot deflected wide but Forster had to deny Bassette before Coventry called for a penalty.

Jake Bidwell collided with Forster and as play continued Ben Davies had to slide in to thwart Haji Wright's goalbound effort.

Boos greeted Postecoglou's decision to take off the lively Lucas Bergvall in the 62nd minute before seconds later Thomas-Asante slotted home from a sumptuous Bassette cross.

Further chances were fashioned for the hosts as Ephron Mason-Clark failed to get a sufficient touch at the back post.

The Sky Blues would pay the price for their profligacy as Dejan Kulusevski combined brilliantly with fellow substitute Spence, who prodded home with two minutes left.

It was Spurs who scented blood and Bentancur threaded a pass through to Johnson, who dinked past Wilson to spark wild away celebrations half an hour after they booed the decision to take off Bergvall.

Postecoglou added: "I don't make substitutions by poll, mate.

'I'm sure the fans have got their own opinions, but yeah, Lucas, like I said that's his first sort of significant game time for quite a while.'

Coventry boss Mark Robins said: 'Life presents you with chances and we seem to not take them in this moment in time.

'I look back to the (2023) play-off final, the game against Manchester United and it was there. The game was there tonight and we just didn't manage to take it.

'There is the disappointment, but there were so many positives.'

Jamie Redknapp has claimed Tottenham will be 'relieved' to have survived a Carabao Cup scare against Coventry City, but claimed boss Ange Postecoglou 'took liberties' with his team selection.

Coventry had threatened to dump Tottenham out in the third round with Brandon Thomas-Asante having given the Championship side a deserved lead in the 63rd minute.

A much-changed Spurs side turned the match around in the closing stages, with substitute Djed Spence drawing them level in the 88th minute.

Brennan Johnson raced through and finished two minutes into stoppage time to complete the comeback, with Tottenham avoiding an early exit.

Speaking on Sky Sports, Redknapp claimed Postecoglou almost had a look of embarrassment at full-time with his side advancing despite having been second best at the Coventry Building Society Arena.

'They were so poor, going nowhere fast until the goals. Up until then, you look at what Mark Robins did [scoring for Man United], we might look back at this goal as something similar and that's kept them in it,' Redknapp said.

'There was almost a look of embarrassment from Ange at full-time. They will be mightily relieved.

'They will be sat in the dressing room thinking "How on earth have we got away with that?" Coventry were the better side and he will be so relieved. They've got to make sure it is a turning point for them.'

The result ultimately eases some pressure on Postecoglou after a difficult start to the season, with Tottenham having picked up just four points from their opening four Premier League matches.

Postecoglou had heavily rotated his side for third round clash, making eight changes for the match against the Championship side.

Redknapp questioned the team selection, suggesting Postecoglou had not learned from Tottenham being knocked out by Fulham in the second round last season.

Postecoglou had made nine changes against Fulham last year, with Spurs ultimately crashing out on penalties after a disjointed performance.

'I didn't like the team he picked. He took liberties. I thought he would've learned from Fulham last season but he didn't pick a strong enough team. But he's got away with that one,' Redknapp added.

'You can tell they have a lack of confidence right now. They didn't pass the ball well enough and they let Coventry creep into the game.

'I do struggle when managers leave out these big name players - I don't know why they don't start the likes of Son and then bring them off when you're winning.

This was always going to be a tough game and a potential banana skin because of what Coventry have done in recent years. The team he's picked has given them a problem and they were very, very fortunate.'

Tottenham had come into the Carabao Cup tie with Coventry fresh from Postecoglou's bold statement that he always wins things in his second season at a club.

The Spurs boss admitted he would have failed if he fails to end the club's 16-year trophy drought, which stretches back to the last time they lifted the League Cup back in 2008.

They pulled on a minty green kit and Ange Postecoglou threw in some fresh faces but Tottenham found it tough to shake off the stale odour that has been following them around.

Just four days after a home defeat in the North London derby on a day when Postecoglou reminded the world how he never failed to win a trophy in his second season, Spurs required a late salvage operation to avoid defeat in the Carabao Cup.

Coventry led deservedly with 88 minutes played but Djed Spence equalised and Brennan Johnson dashed clear to win the tie in the second minute of stoppage time as penalties loomed.

It was heartbreak for the Championship team who had been the better team for large parts of the tie, and might have been ahead before Brandon Thomas-Asante struck in the 63rd minute.

Having started with a team which cost almost £250million, Spurs had just sent on Heung-min Son and James Maddison when Thomas-Asante put them behind.

Postecoglou then threw on Dejan Kulusevski, Tottenhem refused to give up and Coventry finally faded under the pressure.

Djed Spence replaced Udogie and Spurs returned to find a better tempo at the start the second half, which served to tear the game wide open, with Coventry looking increasingly dangerous on the break.

Forster saved again from Bassette and then charged out of his penalty area and felled Bidwell. The ball spilled to Haji Wright who was unable to find the net. Davies slid across to block. The surprise was that referee Darren England did not go back to punish the goalkeeper for a foul but gave a corner. Home fans were hopping mad

Ben Wilson made a fine save to deny Davies from a corner but Coventry took the lead through Asante-Thomas sweeping in a low cross by Bassette after a dashing move down the left wing.

Ange Postecoglou spent his summer holidaying in the sweltering Greek islands where temperatures can reach 86 degrees.

Back in north London, as autumn approaches and the air starts to cool, Postecoglou continues to feel the heat.

Four points from their opening four Premier League matches has made for an indifferent start for a Tottenham side that last season looked like they may challenge for the title.

First thing’s first, there is no hint the Australian is under any immediate danger of having the rug pulled from under him by a Tottenham board that, in the past, have shown a willingness to move managers on.

That is only right. Tottenham have played well, if not great, in all four of their matches thus far.

Indeed, members of the team believe their performances have offered an improvement on their opening four matches of last season - a run that saw them take 10 from a possible 12 points.

Postecoglou’s messaging to his players in recent days echoes the prevailing sense that ‘Angeball’ remains at the heart of the operation.

Steadfastly loyal to his footballing principles, Postecoglou has reiterated to his squad that they remain on the right path. That nothing changes. To remain calm.

There is, however, an acknowledgement that outside noise is starting to manifest. ‘No plan B, the defensive line is too high’ are becoming frequent accusations.

But, privately, Postecoglou is asking his players to trust him and - more pertinently - to ignore those who insist Angeball is failing.

A siege mentality, if you will - something this club knows all about following the managerial spells of Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte.

Postecoglou, as a general rule, is at his desk by 8am - well in advance of his players' arrival.

He remains at the club’s Enfield HQ well into the afternoon and long after most have clocked off.

That’s the path he chose, of course. It’s a path that has been riddled with frustrations in recent weeks.

They were ahead and in the ascendancy against Leicester only to lose their grip in the second half before comfortably beating Everton.

Spurs somehow contrived to throw away victory at Newcastle in a game they largely dominated.

Against Arsenal on Sunday they’d have been well within their rights to feel aggrieved leaving with nothing.

They’d accrued 64 per cent of the ball, took 15 shots to Arsenal’s seven and had more touches in the penalty area than their arch-rivals.

But therein lies the quandary Postecoglou must find the answer to before the powers-that-be decide that rug may need sweeping away after all.

‘I think when you look at the four games, I think that you could summarise all four games in a very similar way of us, outperforming the opposition but not taking the critical moments in our favour and you pay a price for that,’ Postecoglou said on Tuesday.

The narrative surrounding why Spurs have stuttered centres largely around high lines and set pieces.

While Postecoglou has so far refused to employ a specialist dead ball coach, behind the scenes it is not true to say the former Celtic boss is neglecting the importance of set pieces.

Nick Montgomery arrived as an assistant coach in the summer, with the former Hibernian boss taking up the responsibility of working on attacking and defending set pieces at training.

Of course, Gabriel Magalhaes’ winner on Sunday, scored directly from Bukayo Saka’s corner, did little to quell the noise around Tottenham’s issue with defending dead ball situations and the concept that Postecoglou underestimates its importance.

But there is a confidence that Montgomery’s influence has improved the deficiencies that proved an Achilles heel to Postecoglou’s first season in charge.

Specifically, against Arsenal on Sunday, goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario’s failure to to attack Saka’s cross, despite the delivery flying within six yards of his goal, contributed to Arsenal’s winner - although it is recognised that Cristian Romero switched off to allow Magalhaes what was effectively a free header.

Vicario is an impressive shot-stopper, while his ability in possession allows Postecloglou to implement the high-risk possession-based philosophy he swears by.

However, there is also an acknowledgement that his reluctance to attack crosses is a flaw that needs improving.

Tottenham are yet to replace former club captain Hugo Lloris, who left for LAFC in January, with a genuine No 2 goalkeeper who could realistically challenge Vicario.

Fraser Forster, 36, has been named on the Tottenham bench for three of their four league games so far this season. Forster hasn’t played a top-flight game since May 2023.

A goalkeeper was not viewed as a priority over the summer, and it must be stressed that Spurs don’t have a limitless pot of money.

But while Tottenham are satisfied with their summer recruitment, the failure to sign a goalkeeper to replace Lloris is under the spotlight.

The arrival of Dominic Solanke for a club record £65million saw Spurs secure one of their long-term targets. Ivan Toney was considered but the swoop for Solanke was universally approved.

Yet the one perceived glitch in the club’s summer recruitment operation was their failure to land the high-energy central midfielder Postecoglou yearned.

Conor Gallagher was the club’s primary target for the role and there was a confidence at Tottenham that they could take advantage of Chelsea’s race to comply with profit and sustainability rules (PSR) in their pursuit of the England international.

Aston Villa’s Jacob Ramsey was another Tottenham held a genuine interest in but it became abundantly clear the Midlands club were not interested in selling after overcoming their own PSR issues.

Gradually, what was viewed as a priority position at the start of the summer became less so as the window progressed.

The arrival of 18-year-old Archie Gray for a fee of £40m from Leeds diluted their push for a more experienced midfielder.

The additional arrival of Lucas Bergvall, 18, from Djurgaardens and Wilson Odobert from Burnley completed a very youthful first summer window under technical director Johan Lange, who arrived last October.

Lange’s data-led approach spawned a host of strategic changes in terms of how Tottenham identify their targets.

Youth and energy were viewed as key attributes during the previous window, with a focus on recruiting players who could handle the physical strains of Postecoglou’s relentless approach but also footballers hungry to adapt their own games to the Australian’s instructions.

The overhaul in the recruitment operation has certainly left a few noses out of joint.

David Pleat, who completed regular scouting missions for the club and someone who has historical connections with Tottenham, was relieved of his duties over the summer.

There are those who believe a role should have been found for Pleat to remain at the club.

Similarly Ian Broomfield, one of the club’s most senior scouts, was also part of a cull.

Sources have indicated that the club’s move to a data-led approach was a key reason behind Broomfield’s departure, while Mail Sport has also learned the fact he only covered matches within a certain radius from his north-west base was another factor that prompted the decision.

However, there is an opposing view that it was Spurs' choice to limit Broomfield’s geographical scope, though that move is understood to have pre-dated Lange’s arrival.

On the pitch, though, there seems very little chance of Postecoglou altering his approach - particularly the non-negotiable high defensive line that has split opinion.

Despite their indifferent start, the stats suggest Postecoglou is right to trust the process; they’re producing more shooting opportunities, taking more touches in the opposing area and making more passes in the final third.

As disappointing as any loss to Arsenal is to those on the white side of north London, there were elements of the derby performance that will go some way to convincing Postecoglou that his team are close to clicking.

James Maddison, for example, provided encouraging signs, particularly in the first-half, that he is inching towards form.

There was concern behind the scenes at Spurs over how Maddison would return to work after his heartbreaking omission from England’s Euro 2024 squad.

But while his performances so far haven’t necessarily met expectations, there is said to be a determination from Maddison to use the summer’s disappointment as fuel.

That sort of attitude will suit Postecoglou down to the ground if the Aussie is to prove that Angeball isn’t yesterday's fad.

Premier League clubs often band together to bring back their stars from abroad

Cristian Romero was annoyed after Spurs left him to his own devices

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Most people usually traverse the weekend without any air-related meltdowns, but on Sunday Cristian Romero contrived to have two.

In the afternoon he lost his aerial battle with Gabriel by standing rooted to the spot as the Arsenal defender leapt to head home the winner in the north London derby.

Then, after the match, he seemingly lashing out at Spurs' chieftains for not flying him back from international duty by luxury aircraft.

Welcome to the swaddled and mollycoddled lives of Premier League footballers.

After his undoing, Romero reposted a tweet from an Argentine journalist that claimed Tottenham 'gave an advantage' to Arsenal because they 'were the only Premier League club' that did not lay on travel arrangements for their stars to get back to England.

He hastily deleted the repost but it was too late. The screenshots had been clicked into existence.

And perhaps he had a point. Some clubs do provide private travel to get their long-haul players back faster. Arsenal's Brazilians were back in training by Thursday. Spurs, meanwhile, were happy for Romero to travel back on the flights arranged by Argentina, ready for training on Friday. A day of preparation missed, you could reasonably argue.

Tottenham will supply travel for international players if they think it is necessary. On this occasion they did not. But does Romero have much precedent to be vexed?

Well, he does. Premier League clubs have previously spent lavish sums in order to get their players back earlier and snatch a marginal gain.

In November 2016 Liverpool, Manchester City, and Paris Saint-Germain split the cost of a £120,000 private jet to fly back stars from their Brazilian escapades - though Chelsea, offered the opportunity, did not get in on the act to help Willian.

Players such as Philippe Coutinho and Roberto Firmino of Liverpool and Manchester City's Fernandinho were on that flight and got a day of extra preparation in. City even forked out cash for a separate private flight for Sergio Aguero, Nicolas Otamendi and Pablo Zabaleta of Argentina.

Willian, meanwhile, twiddled his thumbs in the airport waiting for a scheduled flight from Brazil.

Fotunately for Willian, Chelsea learned their lesson the next year. He was included in the gang of soaring Sambas in September 2017.

Nobody has invited the fans behind the scenes quite as much as Neymar. Clubs on the continent also organise travel arrangements for their stars, and one time he shared snaps of himself with Thiago Silva, Dani Alves, Filipe Luiz, Marquinhos and Jemerson. Not only that, he also uploaded footage of himself singing thousands of feet in the air. Lucky us.

In 2021, there were multiple high-profile instances of clubs banding together to haul back their precious cargo from the other side of the world.

City, Liverpool, and Manchester United clubbed together in October that year to whizz back an elite quota of nine stars from Brazil and Uruguay for a six-figure fee.

Tottenham also made arrangements, flying back their quartet of Giovani Lo Celso and Cristian Romero, Colombia's Davinson Sanchez and Brazilian Emerson Royal by private jet ahead of a clash with Newcastle.

Turnarounds can be tight. That time around, Liverpool were left with a 35-hour gap between Brazil kicking off a qualifier and the Reds having a match against Watford. You can see why clubs fork out so much to ensure their players get back rapidly.

Then, in November 2021, things got even more cosy. Not only did stars from rival Premier League clubs fly back together, but they were in such genial spirits that they posted about their love-in on the web.

Liverpool's Alisson posted a smiling snap with team-mate Fabinho, Man City's Ederson and Gabriel Jesus, Manchester United midfielder Fred and Leeds winger Raphinha, with the Reds keeper who was holding a small glass of red wine captioning the photo on Instagram: 'Let's go home.'

The private jet can be a place of mourning as well as roistering. Liverpool granted a crestfallen Sadio Mane a private jet back from Senegal duty in 2017 after his country's early exit from the Africa Cup of Nations, having missed the crucial penalty against Gabon in the quarter-finals.

In 2020 Mane had more plane woes after winning African Footballer of the Year. He had been due to fly privately to Dakar, Senegal's capital, to celebrate, but missed his own party after the crew failed to get permission to fly over Tunisia.

With a crowd of supporters waiting to greet him ahead of a parade and ceremony with the country's president, Mane decided to return to Liverpool and focus on preparing for a match against Tottenham. The height of duty.

Others have been known to admirably shun the treatment. Last season Heung Min-son shunned the prospect of a private jet to travel to South Korea duty - admittedly in Wales - by train.

He and Ben Davies rocked up at Cardiff Central Station in casual clothes after taking a commuter train and hugged before going their separate ways, as per The Sun.

And unless they're wealthy enough to afford a private jet, public transport is the common road to which footballers return after they retire.

Sergio Aguero learned that in 2022 when, flying to the World Cup to support Argentina as a fan for the first time after retiring, he got caught up on a flight with a glut of dancing, singing Brazil fans, sharing the video with his followers.

One can only hope for Romero that he did not have to suffer a bus home with Gunners fans.

Ange Postecolgou pulled no punches following his side's north London derby defeat by Tottenham on Sunday, almost insisting that he would be winning a trophy this year.

It hasn't been an easy start to the season for Spurs, who have lost half of their games so far and have just four points from as many matches to their names.

It's All Kicking Off! co-hosts Ian Ladyman and Chris Sutton looked at the Australian's project in north London on the latest episode of the podcast, with a deep dive into how patient the club should be with it.

Though Spurs finished 33 points behind their arch rivals and lost on Sunday, Sutton was keen to defend Tottenham on the back of the game, with the goal proving to be somewhat controversial.

Listen to It's All Kicking Off! here:

There was however debate over whether Postecoglou could be setting himself up to fail after his near-promise of a trophy, with European action to get underway soon.

Sutton also looked at some of Spurs' players and how they have performed for the club since joining, with a focus on forward Brennan Johnson.

Tottenham's latest north London derby defeat has left them 13th in the table

Jamie Redknapp insists they need to start winning sooner rather than later

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Jamie Redknapp has issued a warning to Ange Postecoglou after Tottenham's 1-0 defeat against Arsenal.

Spurs suffered their second consecutive Premier League loss this season and their third straight north London derby defeat at home on Sunday.

Gabriel's second half header proved to be the difference, with the Brazilian leaping highest from Bukayo Saka's inswinging corner.

The defeat has left Tottenham 13th in the table and Redknapp insists they need to start picking up results sooner rather than later.

The former midfielder said speaking on Sky Sports: 'This time last year Spurs were fantastic to watch. We were all waxing lyrical about the manager and the free flowing football.

'Right now it’s not free flowing. If you play well and don’t start winning then you get days like today where the quality drops.

'They need to pick up some results quickly. It’s a fact at this club if you’re not winning games you don’t get long and he needs to start winning some games.'

Former Spurs striker Les believes Postecoglou is the right man for the job, insisting the north London side are 'not far away'.

Asked whether he sees Spurs winning a trophy this season, Ferdinand responded: 'Not at the moment. First three games of the season they played really well.Today they were just missing that cutting edge.

'They’re not far away. I think he’s the right man for Tottenham at this moment in time and they’ll get it right. Today there was a lack of quality.

'In previous games there’s been a lack of personnel in the areas the ball has gone into. Solanke is going to take two or three games to get up to speed. I think Ange is the right man.'

Another trophyless season would stretch Spurs' silverware drought to 17 years but Postecoglou doubled down on his belief that the long wait will soon end.

The Australian struck a defiant tone in his response, but could barely conceal his irritation at the journalist's who asked whether he could win a trophy in his second season at Spurs.

'Yeah, absolutely,' Postecoglou responded. 'Am I going to answer the question or are you going to keep asking it?

'No, absolutely. I'll correct myself. I don't usually win things, I always win things in my second year.

'Nothing has changed. I don't say things unless I believe them.'

Arsenal legend Paul Merson joked he has 'more chance of winning strictly' than Ange Postecoglou does of winning a trophy with Tottenham Hotspur.

In a post-match interview with Sky Sports, Postecoglou reminded the interviewer he 'always' wins a trophy in his second year at a club.

However, Merson disagreed.

'I like Ange, I like him, but I've got more chance of winning Strictly', Merson said on Sky Sports.

Host David Jones cheekily revealed he'd seen some of Merson's dance moves, which was 'not great news for Spurs'.

Merson doubled down on his brutal verdict on Postecoglou and Tottenham as he compared the club with Newcastle's progress.

'No, I don't see it at the moment,' Merson said.

'There's not a lot wrong but you look where they are and where Newcastle are. Tottenham have probably been playing better than them over the first three games and Newcastle have more points than them.

'If they get top four - brilliant. Honestly that would be amazing but 100 per cent, it would be amazing but they'll need to get Solanke to get 20 odd goals and they can only get 20 odd goals if the crossing improves.

'If the crossing don't improve, you can put Haaland up there and it wouldn't improve.'

Unsurprisingly, Merson was nowhere near as critical of Arsenal as he was Tottenham.

In fact, Merson remains adamant the Gunners have 'every chance' of breaking Manchester City's stranglehold and win the Premier League this season.

'They’ll be full of confidence,' Merson said.

'Everyone in the Premier League will have been watching today. The whole of the PL. Missing Odegaard, missing Rice. Two big big players.

For me now this is a heads or tails. This league is a heads or tails this year. I always thought who’s going to beat Man City over 38 games. I’ve seen enough today that Arsenal will be there.

'Arsenal have every chance of winning this Premier League.'

Tottenham legend Gary Mabbutt was out on the pitch at half time talking with affection about north London derbies of yore.

How you never could never tell what might emerge once the rivalry was held to the flame. How each duel created its own identity.

This one though, there was something eerily familiar about. A frantic street skirmish in designer slip-ons settled in Arsenal’s favour with a blow from a set-piece.

After that, they held an outstretched arm with a hand to the Spurs forehead and simply kept it there untroubled by the thrashing about.

That will be tough for Ange Postecoglou and his team to digest. Having finished 23 points adrift of the neighbours last season they were hoping to find evidence of progress but there was barely a hint of it, even with the visitors shorn of their captain and two key midfielders.

Once they survived an intense Tottenham opening, Arsenal looked solid. Stronger, more cohesive and better organised than the home team. Altogether more serious as an outfit.

Once ahead, they never looked like conceding and they protected their goalkeeper David Raya superbly.

Dejan Kulusevski, who forced early saves, fizzed one over in the closing seconds and that was about it by way of a late rally.

The biggest cheers from the home crowd were reserved for Cristian Romero tearing around dangerously at the back and Micky van de Ven sliding into recovery tackles.

It is all part of the Postecoglou vibe. It’s great fun and rarely dull but it can be untidy. And they will always be vulnerable on the break or from a set-piece against the best teams in the Premier League.

Usually, they summon chances but here chances were scarce. There was no late swell of pressure kicking towards the South Stand.

The points were lost to a goal from a corner to trigger cold-sweat flashbacks to last season when this became a recurring theme.

Not because there is no designated set-piece coach on the staff or because they don’t work hard on the training pitch. Rather because they are short of aerial presence.

On the evidence of this and four points from the previous three games little has changed this season.

Dominic Solanke is new to the group and decent in the air but beyond Romero and Van de Ven there are few to compete defensively with Arsenal’s towering quartet of centre halves with Thomas Partey and Kai Havertz thrown in for good measure.

Romero was in vague attendance on this occasion until Gabriel gave him a shove in the back to knock him off balance and eased away, leaping to meet Bukayo Saka’s swerving delivery with a firm header.

Tottenham asked hopefully about a foul but there was no help coming from referee Jarren Gillett. It will go down as poor defending by their best defender. Romero failed to engage with one of Arsenal’s danger men and he knew it.

To complain about a push or claim Jurrien Timber should have been sent off because he went over the top on Pedro Porro in the first half when he was trying to roll the ball away would be to miss the point. Spurs were second best.

Postecoglou sent on subs but the pattern of the contest barely changed. If anything, Arsenal bound tighter. They risked less, limiting themselves to the occasional menacing counterattack.

It was a muscular performance. A classic of the ‘1-0 to the Arsenal’ genre to warm the cockles of the pre-Wenger old guard on the red and white side of this divide. One achieved without Declan Rice, Martin Odegaard or new signing Mikel Merino and with five teenagers on the bench.

Arsenal came with a plan and stuck to it. They settled into a 4-4-2 shape. Havertz and Leandro Trossard were the front two but often there was nobody up front as they worked busily back into midfield.

Sometimes the wide men Saka and Gabriel Martinelli were the furthest forward. Sometimes all four of them were up, pressing and hustling. If they were unable to force mistakes from Spurs as they passed out from Guglielmo Vicario they dropped deep and absorbed pressure.

The fullbacks neutralised the wingers and Jorginho and Partey smothered the areas where Kulusevski and James Maddison wanted to operate.

Kulusevski forced early saves and Solanke, at £65million from Bournemouth the most expensive Premier League signing of the summer and back from injury, made a positive start.

He led the line and disturbed both central defenders and went close with a header in each half, but failed to produce an effort at goal from perhaps his best chance which broke to him in the box in the first half.

There were groans at the end with a few boos thrown in. True, they just don’t like to beaten at home by Arsenal but there might be something else beginning to eat away. An underwhelming start to this campaign follows on from an underwhelming end to the last.

Spurs have won five of the last 15 in the Premier League, four of them last season against the bottom four and one this season at home to rock bottom Everton. Wednesday’s trip to Coventry looms large.

The Carabao Cup defeat on penalties with a weakened team at Fulham last season was the low point of a brilliant start to the Postecoglou era.

Another feeble cup exit before another London derby against Brentford on Saturday and the dark mood may deepen.

Tottenham Hotspur head coach Ange Postecoglou has robustly defended his set-piece policy despite watching his team fall victim to another dead ball delivery in their loss to Arsenal.

The Aussie boss, who has refused to appoint a set-piece specialist coach since his arrival from Celtic last year, has been heavily criticised due to his team’s struggles with defending dead ball situations.

Their Achilles heel came back to haunt them again in the North London Derby as Gabriel Magalhaes nodded home the winner from Bukayo Saka’s corner as Arsenal emerged victorious.

Postecoglou said: ‘I know, for some reason people think I don't care about set pieces and it's a narrative that you can keep going on for ages and ages. I understand that.

‘Like I said, we work on them all the time like we do for every other team. You know that they're a threat, as I said, for the most part, we handled them really well today, but we switched off for one and we paid a price and you learn from that and you move on.

‘But it is what it is, you know, it's my burden to carry and I'm happy to do that.

‘I've always said, for me, there's a bigger picture that's at play here that's much more important than the finer details of us getting to where we want to.

‘For us, the way forward is to try to turn the football we're playing now into something meaningful.’

Postecoglou admonished defender Cristian Romero of full blame for Magalhaes’ winner, despite the Argentine appearing to lose the Arsenal centre-back in the lead up to the winner.

‘Arsenal are obviously a very big threat at set pieces. It only takes one,’ explained Postecoglou.

‘It wasn't just Romero, a couple of others switched off as well. The delivery was spot on and Gabriel is always a threat in those situations.’

Postecoglou believes his team’s biggest problem was not converting their dominance into goals - an issue he insists has dogged them since the start of the season.

‘We had some good opportunities but we created so many more, we just wasted some of our good play,’ he added.

‘Similar to our other games where we haven't really had that conviction in the front third to take advantage of - whether it's us winning the ball back or getting into that front third and nothing coming of it.

‘You keep opposition teams in the game when you do that.

‘We've just got to keep working at it, that's my job. I've just got to keep giving the feedback to the guys, trying to guide them in the right way to make them see that for all their dominance in the game, you need to really be clear-headed in those kind of moments and, that's my role to try to guide them in the right way.

‘We are a team that is progressing in many areas, with all that progress there are always new challenges and things you need to overcome.

‘When I look at the four games in isolation this year, the football is probably more consistent and compelling than our first four games last year but obviously our results don’t reflect that.’