Ange Postecoglou believes Tottenham would have beaten Newcastle if the match had been played “on a level playing field”.
The Spurs boss cut a defiant, if somewhat agitated, figure at full-time after the Magpies came from behind to win 2-1 against Postecoglou’s side at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday.
Dominic Solanke put the hosts ahead inside four minutes, but Anthony Gordon leveled the score two minutes later.
The in-form Alexander Isak then grabbed what proved to be a winner in the 37th minute as the Swede found the net in his seventh successive Premier League match.
Tottenham have only won two of their last 🔟 Premier League matches:
✅ 2 wins
🤝 2 prints
❌ 6 defeatsBad luck for Ange Postecoglou’s side 📉 pic.twitter.com/L52kOLuenT
– Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) January 4, 2025
Spurs then piled on the pressure after the break and had a host of chances in the second half, but failed to convert any of them.
Postecoglou’s side have won just two of their last ten Premier League games – a run which has seen them drop to the bottom half of the table.
Despite the result, Postecoglou insisted he was proud of his team, but said that under different circumstances the result would have been different.
“I am extremely proud of the players. Exceptional given the situation we find ourselves in,” the Tottenham manager told TNT Sports.
“We deserved to win this game. All things being equal, we would have done it.
“If it was another day and a level playing field, we would have won this game” 👀
Ange Postecoglou with a fiery response to Tottenham’s 2-1 defeat to Newcastle…
📺 @tntsports & @discoveryplusUK pic.twitter.com/E8NncBW0OH
– Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) January 4, 2025
Asked about a possible handball cry in the build-up to Gordon’s goal, Postecoglou doubled down on his assessment of “level playing field”.
“I don’t feel mistreated, I just think that’s how they [the officials] want to do things. The last thing I want is an explanation.
“All I will say is that any other day, on a fair and equal playing field, we would have won this game. As simple as that.
“Don’t keep asking me questions about [referee] decision. I know what my opinion is and, like I said, if it was any other day and the playing field was level and fair, we would have won this game.
“It’s a game we should have won and deserved to win. Things are not equal at the moment. I couldn’t be more proud of the way they [the players] plays. Their attitude, their ability to demonstrate resilience in the most extreme circumstances.
“We’re disappointed because it’s a match that all things being equal we would have won, so you’re obviously disappointed. You can only do what you can control and there were things out of our control today that took the game away from us.
Spurs are next in action when they host Liverpool in the first leg of the Carabao Cup semi-final on Wednesday evening.
