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Manchester United co-owners Ineos have made an early exit from their sponsorship deal with Tottenham after a pay-off agreement was reached, Inside Sport understands.

Last month, we reported how amicable discussions were taking place with a view to Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s petrochemicals giant withdrawing prematurely from a five-year deal signed in 2022.

Ineos were the official 4 x 4 partner of Spurs via their Grenadier vehicle and the curious sight of their branding on the dugouts and advertisement screens at a Premier League rival was the result of a deal signed well before their involvement at Old Trafford and thought to be worth several millions per season.

However, it was no longer visible at Tottenham’s Europa League victory over AZ Alkmaar on Thursday night.

And Mail Sport has been told a deal has been agreed which sees Ineos paying a ‘not insignificant sum’ thought to be in the millions to end the deal.

While it saves Ratcliffe’s company and ends a not-great look, it also frees Spurs up to seek a new sponsor. The North London club may well seek a more lucrative general automotive deal as a replacement for the 4 x 4.

The situation certainly seems to have played out in more harmony than Ineos’s attempt to exit early from their sponsorship deal with the All Blacks, who have taken legal action over a withdrawal over an agreement not due to end until 2027.

A partnership with Sir Ben Ainslie’s America’s Cup team has also been terminated, while the Daily Telegraph reported earlier this week that Ineos’ one-third stake in Mercedes Formula 1 was also at threat, with talks ongoing as they seek to focus entirely on United.

Spurs were in control after goals from Wilson Odobert and James Maddison

Peer Koopmeiners levelled the tie before Odobert tapped in the winner

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Anxiety, brilliance, confusion. Perhaps not quite the classic A to Z of Tottenham under Ange Postecoglou but they made it through the alphabet as far as V is for victory thanks to Wilson Odobert’s emergence as a goal hero.

Odobert has spent most of his first season injured since his £25million move from Burnley last summer but conjured his first goals for the club as Spurs overcame a first leg deficit to see off the challenge of AZ Alkmaar.

He levelled the tie in the first half, had a hand in the second scored by James Maddison and even played a part of the defensive mix-up which helped the Dutch back into it, via a goal by Peer Koopmeiners.

But Odobert’s final act was the decisive one of the night as he tapped in the winning goal in the 73rd minute, after an overlapping charge down the left and cross by Djed Spence and a flick by Dominic Solanke at the near post.

This being Spurs, it was not without a nervous finish. Guglielmo Vicario made late saves and Yves Bissouma produced a terrific sliding clearance to deny AZ substitute Mees de Wit and protect Tottenham’s slender lead and book a Europa League quarter final with Eintracht Frankfurt next month.

Tottenham supporters responded to the rallying cry from Postecoglou to create a positive atmosphere and generate energy, and his players opened at a decent tempo, looking to go forward with purpose.

But AZ, unlike Spurs who fought back from two down to draw with Bournemouth on Sunday, had not played since the first leg. They were refreshed after a request to postpone Eredivisie fixture was granted by the Dutch FA to enable them to focus purely on the second leg.

They came with the first-leg advantage, courtesy of Lucas Bergvall’s own goal in Alkmaar, and a sensible plan to yield possession, defending in numbers to frustrate and seeking to do their damage on the turnover of possession, whether that was pressing and smothering Spurs as they played out of defence or looking to strike on the counter attack from deep, with speedy attackers such as left winger Ernest Poku.

It held together reasonably well until a mistake by young centre-half Wouter Goes in the 26th minute. Goes was forced back to retrieve a ball from a right back position and he took a little too much time.

Heung-min Son saw his chance to close down and made a vital blocked as Goes turned to clear. The ricochet spilled infield, kindly for Solanke who had the composure to roll a pass square to Odobert who arrived to lash a left-footer past Rome-Jayden Owusu-Oduro for his first goal since scoring for Burnley on the opening day of the Championship season.

Back on level terms in the tie, the mood lifted again. Tottenham passed the ball with extra zip and Son threatened, coming inside from the left. Bergvall curled an ambitious effort over from long range.

The visitors took more risks, ventured out more and tested Postecoglou’s defensive unit, which had first choice central defenders Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven, starting together in the back four for the first time since both were injured against Chelsea in early December.

Vicario, whose saves in the first leg kept his team in the tie, came out smartly at the feet of Poku and Zico Buurmeester was presented with a chance, albeit a tricky one which spun his way just before the interval.

Buurmeester did not catch it as clean on the volley as his Brazilian namesake might have done, and Spurs escaped, as they did at the start of the second half when Vicario over indulged on the ball, trying to beat pressure from Peer Koopmeiners by dragging the ball away with the sole of his boot.

He was fortunate and within seconds Tottenham were at the other end celebrating their second, stylishly converted by Maddison from about 10 yards after a brisk exchange of passes with Son after Odobert carried the ball forward at pace.

From here Postecoglou’s team attacked with confidence and might have scored more but there was a reminder from AZ when Jordy Clasie flashed a shot wide from the edge of the penalty area.

Then Spurs helped back into the contest with a defensive mix-up between Odobert and Bergvall just three minutes after Van de Ven, still not ready for 90 minutes after months of hamstring problems, had been replaced by Archie Gray.

Odobert restored Tottenham’s lead and they survived the late scares to move into the last eight and keep Postecoglou’s quest for a trophy alive.

Follow Mail Sport's live blog for the latest score, team news and updates as Tottenham welcome Az Alkmaar in the Europa League whilst Chelsea host FC Copenhagen in the Conference League.

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Ange Postecoglou has given an angry response to a reporter who suggested Tottenham's Europa League tie against AZ Alkmaar was 'win or bust' in terms of their season prospects.

Spurs trail 1-0 ahead of the return leg in north London on Thursday night with Lucas Bergvall's own goal proving the difference between the two teams.

That means that Postecoglou's side must win on the night to stand any chance of progressing to the quarter finals.

Ahead of the second leg, the Australian was asked, with the game being 'billed by some as win or bust' when it came to Tottenham's season and his chances of continuing as the club's manager.

Addressing Postecoglou, the reporter asked: 'How do you feel about it and how important is it?'

Giving an angry response, he replied: 'There aren't many professions in the world where you have to come in and answer questions like that is there?'

'But I'm going to be polite and just say we are focussed on winning the game.

'We certainly feel if we can play with the intensity and tempo we played with [against Bournemouth on Sunday], we will give ourselves a good chance to progress'.

The Europa League remains Tottenham's only realistic chance of silverware this season as the Lilywhites have already been eliminated from both the FA Cup and Carabao Cup - and sit 13th in the Premier League after an underwhelming campaign.

Should they beat Dutch side Alkmaar, the Lilywhites would still be required to potentially beat the likes of Lazio, Athletic Club and Manchester United.

A follow-up question also saw Postecoglou asked whether he regretted saying that he always wins trophies in his second season.

Back in September, he remarked: '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.'

At Celtic, Postecoglou failed to win anything in his first season in charge in 2020/21, but in his second campaign, 2021/22, he managed the team to a Scottish Premiership title and the Scottish League Cup title.

In Japan, he managed Yokohama F Marinos from 2017/18 onwards, steering the Japanese team to their first J League title in15 years.

He also won the Asian Cup with Australia in 2014/15, having taking on the top role for the men's national team in 2013.

Bournemouth goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga produced two costly errors in Sunday's 2-2 draw away at Tottenham Hotspur.

The Cherries held a deserved 2-0 lead after 65 minutes courtesy of strikes from Marcus Tavernier and Evanilson, while Justin Kluivert had seen another goal ruled out for offside.

But Spurs were gifted a route back into the contest when Kepa was beaten by Pape Matar Sarr's mis-hit cross in the 67th minute.

Kepa then gifted the home side a penalty kick by rashly rushing out of his six-yard box to foul Son Heung-min, who had been running away from goal.

Son stepped up to convert the penalty himself and earn Spurs a point.

Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher was commentating on Sunday's game for Sky Sports and reacted to Kepa's foul on Son by exclaiming: 'What is he doing!?'

Kepa then briefly trended on X (formerly Twitter), where the majority of comments were not complimentary.

One fan posted: 'Kepa has single-handedly ruined Bournemouth's game today.'

Another comment read: 'What the hell is Kepa doing I'm in disbelief'.

However, a Bournemouth supporter stood up for Kepa by commenting: 'Let's not start piling on him.

'Sure the error at the end today was totally unacceptable and unnecessary, but that doesn't change the fact he has been great almost the entire season before the last two games.

'Don't be reactionary and forget he is still a class GK'.

Sunday's result left Bournemouth eighth in the Premier League table, five points off the top four with 10 rounds of fixtures remaining.

The Cherries remain 10 points above Spurs in 13th.

It was frantic and anxious, and the fightback came about courtesy of a mis-hit cross drifting in at the back post and softish penalty, but Ange Postecoglou will grab what he can in times like these.

Maybe there is evidence his luck is on the turn because Tottenham were a little fortunate to escape with a point against Bournemouth.

They spluttered through the first half and improved without impressing in the second. And they can take some credit for their spirit and the refusal to give up, and yet they were second best for long spells in the game and could easily have conceded more.

James Tavernier and Evanilson gave the visitors a 2-0 lead in 65 minutes before Pape Matar Sarr's cross went in and Son Heung-min salvaged a point for Spurs winning and converting a late penalty.

Home form in the Premier League has been poor. This point takes them to six in the last 10 home games but after the blow of an insipid defeat at AZ Alkmaar on Thursday, this at least represents a slight upturn in fortunes.

Important players are back on the pitch, returning to fitness and all eyes are on the second leg against AZ because progress in the Europa League, where there is a place in the Champions League for the winners, is the only way Postecoglou can repackage his second season as anything other than failure.

Tottenham's fans are painfully aware of the position they are in, and an awful start against Bournemouth invited anxiety to take a grip on the atmosphere inside the stadium.

Indeed they were fortunate not to be a goal down after 18 seconds. Cristian Romero, under no pressure, side-footed a pass to Evanilson, who was clean through on goal but unable to produce a finish with enough punch to beat Guglielmo Vicario.

Romero was one of six changes made by Postecoglou to the team beaten by AZ. He led the team out and his name drew the biggest cheer when his return was confirmed before kick-off.

But the Argentina centre half started very much like someone with only 15 minutes of competitive football in the last four months as he made a hash of one pass after another in defence.

He rolled Yves Bissouma into trouble, deep in midfield. Bissouma's poor touch didn't help, and Ryan Christie won the ball and released Justin Kluivert. For the second time in the first four minutes, Vicario was faced with a one-on-one.

This time he saved with his legs and was back up on his feet to keep out a header from Tavernier when Bournemouth flung over another cross.

Andoni Iraola's team were excellent. They were quicker and sharper. They bristled with energy and aggression, content to let Spurs have the ball and spring their traps.

Tottenham survived the early pressure and grew into the game but the more they ventured forward the more vulnerable the were to Bournemouth's blistering counter attack.

Milos Kerkez was the architect of the opening goal, intercepting a careless pass by Pedro Porro and springing out of defence. Kerkez carried the ball at speed across the halfway line and delivered a spectacular cross on the run from wide on the left.

It swerved and dipped, beat Kevin Danso in flight and seemed to entrance Djed Spence, who lost his man, Tavernier, who slid in at the back post to convert on the half volley.

Spurs were booed down the tunnel at half-time, whereupon Postecoglou made two changes, sending on Son and Lucas Bergvall. Immediately, the home team had more fizz going forward although no less fragile at the back.

'It became a basketball game and that suits them,' said Postecoglou. 'We want more control. High tempo but less chaotic.'

Kluivert found the net after another sweeping counterattack only to find the goal ruled because Antoine Semenyo was offside. Son struck a post with a trademark swerving low shot deflected onto a post.

Bournemouth's second was scored by Evanilson, a neat dink over Vicario's dive after another strong run down the left by Kerkez and a disguised pass from Kluivert.

Bergvall thumped a low shot into a post form 25 yards and Sarr pulled a goal back when his cross confused Kepa Arrizabalaga.

Kluivert hit a post at the other end before the equaliser from Son, who could not wait to fall down after Kepa made the mistake of sliding out rashly in an attempt to beat him to a pass by James Maddison.

Son got his toe to the ball, and was one his way down, trailing a leg for the inevitable contact from the goalkeeper. 'Son is very smart,' shrugged Iraola. 'He forced the contact but Kepa gave him a chance and the referee decides in the moment. He decided a penalty and it has cost us.'

The point takes Bournemouth to within three points of Manchester City in fifth.

'We need to be more efficient,' said Iraola. 'Big teams, the teams that achieve big things find ways to win. We are the opposite, playing well with one point from our last two away games.

'We go to difficult places and play well, and we see teams around us finding ways to make their performances matter. We miss a little bit of this. We need to improve this… game management or call it what you want.

'But we are still in the fight. And the players deserve to take something from this season.'

Follow Mail Sport's live blog for the latest score, team news and updates from Sunday's Premier League games of Chelsea vs Leicester City and Tottenham vs Bournemouth kicking off at 2pm.

Vicario appeared to question the Spurs fans' reaction at full time on Thursday

Postecoglou has defended the star, insisting he simply cares about the club

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Tottenham goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario has issued an apology to fans offended by a post-match exchange following the club's 1-0 Europa League defeat to AZ Alkmaar.

Vicario turned and stormed off when his attempts to gee up those in the away end following the defeat in the first leg of the last-16 tie with AZ backfired and instead unleashed a barrage of abuse.

The Tottenham shot-stopped had made several fine saves to keep the tie alive ahead of the second leg, but angered some supporters inside the AFAS Stadium with his gesture.

Vicario has posted a lengthy message to supporters on social media in a bid to 'clarify' his intentions.

The Italian international stated he had attempted to keep everyone 'unified' despite the defeat and sought to reiterate his commitment to the team and fans.

'As a team, we take full responsibility for our terrible performance on the pitch last night. We will work even harder to understand, as a mature group, what went wrong,' Vicario wrote.

'Still, we have a great opportunity, starting from Sunday, to redeem ourselves and prepare in the best way possible for the second battle next Thursday.

'Regarding what happened at the final whistle in front of the away section, I want to clarify my intention to keep everyone as united as possible, even in the disappointment we have caused our people.

'If I have offended anyone, I apologise to those who felt affected.

'Post-match emotions can be misunderstood, but I assure you that my commitment to this team and you, our fans, grows stronger day after day.'

The 28-year-old had already addressed the fans reaction to his gesture post-match, acknowledging their frustration at the performance.

'We need them every game, home and away,' Vicario said post-match.

'We know they are very important for us and now is a big moment of the season and with them we can play with one more man on the pitch so it's so important.'

Defeat in the Netherlands was the 18th of a desperate season for Tottenham. They set out with eyes on the top of the Premier League and with head coach Ange Postecoglou reminding supporters he had never failed to win a trophy in his second season at any club.

But Spurs languish 13th in the league ahead of Sunday's game at home against Bournemouth, and are out of the domestic cup competitions.

Spurs boss Ange Postecoglou defended Vicario's actions post-match, insisting the goalkeeper wants 'everyone on board' as the club seek to salvage their season.

'Vic is very passionate about this football club,' Postecoglou said. 'He's very passionate about what we're trying to do here, and he wants to win, and he wants everyone on board with that.

'And if people think there is one bad or vindictive bone in Vicario's makeup, they don't know the man that I do.

'Whatever he does, he does what he thinks is best for the team and best for this football club because he really cares.'

Vicario appeared to question the Spurs fans' reaction at full time on Thursday

Postecoglou has defended the star, insisting he simply cares about the club

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Ange Postecoglou has defended Guglielmo Vicario over his clash with Tottenham supporters on Thursday and says he does not want his players to be ‘robots’.

Goalkeeper Vicario, 28, was seen gesturing towards the Spurs fans after their Europa League defeat at AZ Alkmaar in a call for more support, which appeared to anger the travelling contingent.

But Postecoglou insisted his player’s actions were done only with the best intentions.

‘Vic is very, very passionate about this football club,’ said Postecoglou on Friday. ‘He wants to win and he wants everyone on board with that. And if people think there is one bad or vindictive bone in Vicario they don’t know the man that I do.

‘The guy’s one of the purest human beings you could ever come across. So whatever he does, he does what he thinks

is best for the team, best for this football club because he really cares.’

Postecoglou was on the receiving end of fans’ ire after the 1-0 defeat at Bournemouth in December. Speaking ahead of Saturday's return fixture, the 59-year-old said: ‘I don’t know what people want. Do they just want robots who just stand there, clap and walk off?

‘Whether it is me, a player or the fans, there is emotion after a game. Sometimes that is not positive and you want to deal with in the right way but we are human beings.’

Postecoglou’s side will attempt to overturn the one-goal deficit in the second leg of their last-16 tie at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Thursday.

For his part, Vicario attempted to placate Tottenham supporters last night after the fractious post-match exchange in the Netherlands.

The Italian wrote on Instagram: ‘As a team, we take full responsibility for our terrible performance. Still, we have a great opportunity starting from Sunday to redeem ourselves.

‘Regarding what happened at the final whistle, I want to clarify my intention to keep everyone as united as possible, even in the disappointment we have caused our people.

‘If I have offended anyone, I apologise to those who felt affected. Post-match emotions can be misunderstood but I assure you my commitment to this team and you, our fans, grows stronger day after day.’

Tottenham fans managed to see the funny side of one of the worst free kick routines in recent memory in their 1-0 defeat by AZ Alkmaar in the Europa League.

The north Londoners were beaten in the first leg of their Last 16 tie by the Dutch side, courtesy of a hugely unlucky Lucas Bergvall own goal in the first half, in the latest blow to Ange Postecoglou and Co.

It was a largely toothless display from Spurs, who now have it all to do in the second leg in order to revive their hopes of Champions League qualification.

Chasing the game, though, Spurs had a great chance to get back level with a free kick on the edge of the box.

James Maddison stood over the ball, and made as if to have a crack on goal before playing a disguised short pass to captain Son Heung-min.

But the South Korean icon's return pass was hit too heavy, and ended up behind the on-rushing Maddison.

The England international's touch back in to Son was then played off balance and therefore behind his team-mate, leaving the Spurs skipper all at sea, with three AZ defenders closing him down.

Son then passes to Kevin Danso as Spurs look to resurrect the chance with numbers in the box already for the set-piece, but the centre back's ball into the danger area is over hit, and trickles out of play.

It was a let off for the Dutch hosts, but a move that largely encapsulated Spurs' performance on a disappointing European night.

As such, it drew the ire of a number of fans on social media, though they were able to laugh at the woeful set-piece.

One fan wrote: 'Got to be the most Tottenham free kick imaginable.'

Another echoed the sentiment: 'That free kick was the most Tottenham thing I've ever seen.'

A third posted a picture of a dartboard surrounded by darts, none of which had managed to land on the board.

And a fourth joked: 'I can't believe this actually isn't AI generated.'

It is the latest disappointing result in a season of setbacks for Spurs, who have struggled with swathes of injuries throughout the campaign.

As a result, they have been incapable of building up any sort of momentum and form, which has unfortunately impacted their campaign, with Postecoglou's side down in 13th, tied on 33 points with 14th-placed Man United and West Ham in 15th.

It was a thoroughly disappointing performance, especially given this competition remains the club's last hope of silverware this term, and they have work to do to turn the tie around in the second leg in north London.

'We'll analyse it and have a look at the areas where we struggled with, but it's fair to say it was nowhere near the level it needed to be,' Postecoglou said.

'It wasn't great from us tonight. Pretty much all facets of the game. We didn't really get to grips with any part of the game. We struggled to gain any momentum with the ball, we weren't as aggressive as we needed to be without the ball.

'I don't think it's a matter of effort or attitude. I don't think it is going out there and not trying, but, like I said, we didn't really come to grips and have the right mindset to tackle an away fixture in Europe.

'It is always tough and we obviously conceded the goal, which was a disappointing set of events, but even after that we didn't really settle down into the game at all.

'You are going to face some pressure when you play away from home in Europe and weather the storm and get to grips with it, but we never really did so that was a disappointment.'