The audio recording of the discussion between the match officials that led to Luis Diaz’s goal being wrongly disallowed has been made public, with VAR Darren England swearing twice upon being told of his mistake.

Diaz was incorrectly adjudged to have been offside on the field after netting in the first half of Liverpool’s 2-1 defeat at Tottenham on Saturday, a decision which was not over-ruled by England and his assistant Daniel Cook.

Liverpool asked for a recording of what happened and Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) has taken the step to publicly release the communication into how the bungled verdict was reached.

PGMOL said England “lost sight of the on-field decision” due to “a lapse of concentration and loss of focus”.

In the recording, England says “check complete, check complete. That’s fine, perfect” before the replay operator and then Cook question whether the correct decision has been made.

England swears upon realising the error and then says “they’ve restarted the game. Can’t do anything, can’t do anything” as the replay operator makes repeated calls to delay the match.

England then issues another expletive before the tape finishes, the end of an incident in which PGMOL, the referees’ body, admitted immediately after the match that a “significant human error” had occurred.

Liverpool said “sporting integrity has been undermined”, while they released a statement the following day indicating they would explore their options given the “clear need for escalation and resolution”.

PGMOL said in a statement accompanying the audio: “After the on-field officials had disallowed the goal for offside, the checking phase and process started and was carried out correctly by the VAR.

“In a lapse of concentration and loss of focus in that moment, the VAR lost sight of the on-field decision and he incorrectly communicated ‘check complete’, therefore inadvertently confirming the on-field decision. He did this without any dialogue with the AVAR (assistant VAR).

“The match then restarted immediately. After a few seconds, the replay operator and then the AVAR queried the check-complete outcome with the VAR and asked him to review the image that had been created, pointing out that the original on-field decision had been offside, but this was not communicated to the on-field team at any point during the match.

“The VAR team then gave consideration as to whether the game could be stopped at that point, however the VAR and AVAR concluded that the VAR protocol within the laws of the game would not permit that to happen, and they decided intervention was not possible as play had restarted.”

England and Cook have not been included among the officials for duty in the coming weekend’s Premier League fixtures.

The pair had already been replaced for the remainder of their matchweek seven duties – England was due to be fourth official at Nottingham Forest v Brentford on Sunday, with Cook scheduled to be assistant referee for Monday’s Fulham-Chelsea clash.

PGMOL has vowed to learn from this incident, stressing accuracy over all else, including efficiency, to its video match officials and, from now on, a VAR must confer with their AVAR in the check process before relaying the final decision to the on-field officials.

The Premier League announced a wider review of VAR, amid scathing criticism in the fallout of what happened at the weekend, is set to be held in conjunction with the PGMOL.

A Premier League spokesperson said: “It is clear that there were not only human errors but systemic weaknesses in the VAR process. We accept PGMOL’s immediate recommendations to ensure that such failures are not repeated in the future.

“However, a wider review to seek consistently higher standards of VAR performance will be conducted by the Premier League and PGMOL, supported by other stakeholders, and where necessary further recommended actions will be brought forward and implemented.

“We have communicated fully with Liverpool FC on this matter and have shared PGMOL’s findings and relevant footage of the incident with all Premier League clubs.”

England and Cook have come under further scrutiny since Saturday after it was reported they were part of a refereeing team in the United Arab Emirates two days before the Tottenham-Liverpool match.

PGMOL added: “PGMOL and The FA have also agreed to review the policy to allow match officials to officiate matches outside of FIFA or UEFA appointments.”

The audio that led to Luis Diaz’s goal being wrongly disallowed by VAR in Liverpool’s defeat at Tottenham has been released publicly by the Professional Game Match Officials Limited.

VAR Darren England and his assistant Daniel Cook did not over-rule the incorrect on-field decision of offside after Diaz had scored at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

PGMOL said in a statement on Tuesday evening that “standards fell short of expectations” and it has identified three key learnings “to mitigate against the risk of a future error”.

Liverpool said on Sunday they would explore their options given the “clear need for escalation and resolution” and PGMOL has provided a detailed report alongside the audio to the Premier League, which has in turn shared with Liverpool and the other 19 top-flight clubs.

Liverpool will be sent the audio from Saturday’s offside controversy at Tottenham first before it is released publicly, the PA news agency understands.

The club are understood to have requested the audio related to the “significant human error” which led to Luis Diaz’s goal against Spurs being disallowed, having released a statement on Sunday saying they would explore their options given the “clear need for escalation and resolution”.

PA understands the goal was not given due to a miscommunication between VAR Darren England and the on-field referee Simon Hooper.

Professional Game Match Officials Limited is understood to have always been keen to release the audio in a bid to provide transparency, and that first and foremost it must go to Liverpool.

The organisation has not ruled out either airing the audio in the next ‘Match Officials: Mic’d Up’ programme which is scheduled for Monday next week, or possibly sooner than that.

England and his assistant VAR, Daniel Cook, have not been included among the officials for duty in the coming weekend’s Premier League fixtures.

The two match officials stood down from duty following Saturday’s incident that saw Liverpool wrongly denied a goal will not be involved in this weekend’s Premier League fixtures.

Darren England and Dan Cook were VAR and assistant VAR respectively when a “significant human error” resulted in Luis Diaz’s effort incorrectly being disallowed for offside in the Reds’ 2-1 loss at Tottenham.

Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) on Sunday announced the pair had been replaced for their next matches – England was due to be fourth official that day at Nottingham Forest v Brentford, with Cook to be assistant referee for Monday’s Fulham-Chelsea clash, but Craig Pawson and Eddie Smart stepped in.

And on Tuesday, England and Cook did not feature as the Premier League released its list of officials for matchweek eight this Saturday and Sunday.

Simon Hooper, the on-field referee for the Tottenham-Liverpool contest and fourth official for the subsequent Fulham game, is to be VAR when Everton host Bournemouth on Saturday.

After Diaz’s 34th-minute effort at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, when the score was 0-0, was disallowed PGMOL put out a statement saying “a significant human error occurred” and that a goal should have been given but “the VAR failed to intervene”.

The PA news agency understands Liverpool have formally requested the audio from PGMOL of the conversation between Hooper and England related to the incident.

Liverpool issued a statement on Sunday night saying they would “explore the range of options available given the clear need for escalation and resolution”.

Liverpool have made a formal request to access the audio related to Saturday’s offside controversy at Tottenham, the PA news agency understands.

The club had a Luis Diaz goal ruled out in north London due to miscommunication between VAR Darren England and on-field referee Simon Hooper. The Premier League game was goalless at the time of the incident, with the Reds going on to lose 2-1.

PA understands the Reds have now formally requested the audio of the conversation between the two from referees’ body Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL).

Liverpool issued a statement on Sunday night saying they would “explore the range of options available given the clear need for escalation and resolution”.

Much of the focus since has been on precisely how the club would like the matter escalated and resolved, and their first step has been to seek access to precisely what England and Hooper said to each other which led to the mistake.

PGMOL issued a statement on Saturday night acknowledging a “significant error” had occurred. Hooper and his assistants had given offside against Diaz on the field, and the PA news agency understands that although England followed the correct procedure in drawing lines, he lost focus and mistakenly thought the initial on-field decision had been onside.

This resulted in him issuing a ‘check complete’ notice to Hooper, rather than advising of an intervention and the goal being awarded.

Once the officials realised an error had been made, play had restarted and VAR protocols state that once that has happened, there is no way back to revisit a decision.

England was replaced as a fourth official for the Nottingham Forest v Brentford match on Sunday while his assistant VAR at Tottenham, Dan Cook, has been replaced for Monday night’s match between Fulham and Chelsea.

Referee and VAR appointments for the coming weekend’s matches are due to be announced at 10am on Tuesday morning.

Tottenham have condemned the racist abuse received by defender Destiny Udogie following Saturday’s home Premier League win against Liverpool.

Udogie, 20, was the target of several racist slurs on social media following Tottenham’s controversial 2-1 home victory after being involved in Liverpool forward Diogo Jota’s dismissal.

Jota was shown two yellow cards for two separate second-half challenges on the Tottenham left-back within the space of a minute.

Tottenham said on their official website: “We are disgusted at the racist messages directed towards Destiny Udogie on social media following Saturday’s game against Liverpool.

“We will work with the Premier League and, where possible, take action against any individual we are able to identify. We stand with you, Destiny.”

Tottenham won the game 2-1 thanks to Joel Matip’s stoppage-time own goal after Cody Gakpo had cancelled out Son Heung-min’s first-half opener.

Liverpool defender Curtis Jones was shown a straight red in the first half after VAR intervention for a foul on Yves Bissouma and the visitors were incensed when Luis Diaz’s opening goal was incorrectly ruled out for offside.

PGMOL later issued a statement admitting that a “significant human error” had taken place by VAR officials in their decision not to award the goal.

Liverpool have criticised the Professional Game Match Officials Limited and warned they will “explore the range of options available” following the VAR controversy at Tottenham.

The PGMOL admitted VAR officials Darren England and Dan Cook failed to act after Luis Diaz’s 34th-minute strike at Tottenham was wrongly ruled out for offside. Still images of the incident showed Cristian Romero playing Diaz onside.

The disallowed goal came with the match still goalless but after Curtis Jones had been controversially sent off following England’s intervention. Liverpool went on to lose 2-1.

The officials were stood down from duty for the rest of the weekend but Liverpool will continue to pursue the matter.

A statement read: “Liverpool Football Club acknowledges PGMOL’s admission of their failures last night. It is clear that the correct application of the laws of the game did not occur, resulting in sporting integrity being undermined.

“We fully accept the pressures that match officials work under but these pressures are supposed to be alleviated, not exacerbated, by the existence and implementation of VAR.

“It is therefore unsatisfactory that sufficient time was not afforded to allow the correct decision to be made and that there was no subsequent intervention.

“That such failings have already been categorised as ‘significant human error’ is also unacceptable. Any and all outcomes should be established only by the review and with full transparency.

“This is vital for the reliability of future decision making as it applies to all clubs with learnings being used to make improvements to processes in order to ensure this kind of situation cannot occur again.

“In the meantime, we will explore the range of options available, given the clear need for escalation and resolution.”

England was due to be fourth official at Sunday’s Premier League match between Nottingham Forest and Brentford, while Cook was to be assistant referee for Monday’s west London derby between Fulham and Chelsea.

But the PGMOL announced on Sunday morning that England, the main VAR official at Tottenham, had been replaced by Craig Pawson, while Eddie Smart will step in for Cook, who was the assistant VAR to England.

“Darren England, VAR on the Tottenham Hotspur v Liverpool fixture, and Dan Cook, AVAR on the same game, have been replaced for the Nottingham Forest v Brentford and Fulham v Chelsea matches today and tomorrow night respectively,” a PGMOL statement said.

“Craig Pawson will now assume England’s duties as fourth official at the City Ground while Eddie Smart will take over from Cook as assistant referee at Craven Cottage.”

Son Heung-min put Spurs in front moments after Diaz’s goal was disallowed, and although Cody Gakpo levelled, Tottenham won 2-1 thanks to a stoppage-time own goal from Joel Matip, with Liverpool finishing the game with nine men after Diogo Jota also saw red.

In a statement on Saturday, PGMOL said: “PGMOL acknowledge a significant human error occurred during the first half of Tottenham Hotspur v Liverpool.

“The goal by Luis Diaz was disallowed for offside by the on-field team of match officials.

“This was a clear and obvious factual error and should have resulted in the goal being awarded through VAR intervention, however, the VAR failed to intervene.

“PGMOL will conduct a full review into the circumstances which led to the error.”

Wataru Endo was disappointed but proud of the way nine-man Liverpool fought in the face of “difficult decisions” during the last-gasp defeat at Tottenham.

Jurgen Klopp’s men saw their unbeaten start to the Premier League season end in north London as Joel Matip’s own goal in the sixth minute of stoppage time gave Spurs a 2-1 win.

Liverpool had gone so close to a point after seeing Curtis Jones’ booking upgraded to red midway through the first half after his challenge was reviewed by VAR.

Son Heung-min soon broke the deadlock only for the Reds to equalise through Cody Gakpo, whose half-time replacement Diogo Jota was sent off in the 69th minute for two yellows.

But the main talking point was how Luis Diaz’s opener was wrongly ruled out for offside due to what the Professional Game Match Officials Limited called a “significant human error” by VAR Darren England.

Summer signing Endo, who came on with Liverpool reduced to nine men, said: “At the end, a very tough game but there were 50-50 decisions in the game and yeah, it’s very difficult to play with nine players.

“But I wanted to get one point so I am very disappointed about it.

“I am just so proud of this team. I am just disappointed.

“We have to learn from this result and of course we showed our spirit, even though we faced difficult decisions we fought until the end.

“That’s Liverpool and always we have to try to win the game. We can learn from this game but we just keep going.”

Liverpool will look to bounce back from their first Premier League defeat of the season at Brighton next Sunday before attention turns to international matches.

Matip will be particularly desperate to win after his late own goal in the capital, but Endo says nobody in the dressing room is blaming the defender.

“Actually, he played an amazing game today so no-one can say something to him,” he told the club website.

“I am so proud of what he did today and I am so proud of what my team-mates did today.”

Liverpool have a Europa League group match against Union Saint-Gilloise before heading to Brighton, but there are no continental distractions for Spurs this year.

Tottenham missed out on European qualification in a poor 2022-23 campaign but have been reborn under Ange Postecoglou, with his new-look side second in the standings.

“It was an important moment,” goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario said.

“We were level, then we scored. We deserved this win all together.

“We have to enjoy this moment, to rest then keep going because we have another challenge next week (at Luton) and then the international break.

“We have to be focused and to prepare the best game by game.

“This has to be our goal throughout the season – keep going, keep working.”

The match officials at the heart of the “significant human error” which saw Liverpool wrongly denied a goal in Saturday’s defeat to Tottenham have been stood down from duty for the rest of the weekend.

Darren England was due to be fourth official at Sunday’s Premier League match between Nottingham Forest and Brentford, while Dan Cook was to be assistant referee for Monday’s west London derby between Fulham and Chelsea.

But the Professional Game Match Officials Limited announced on Sunday morning that England, who was VAR for Saturday’s game at Tottenham, has been replaced by Craig Pawson, while Eddie Smart will step in for Cook, who was the assistant VAR to England.

“Darren England, VAR on the Tottenham Hotspur v Liverpool fixture, and Dan Cook, AVAR on the same game, have been replaced for the Nottingham Forest v Brentford and Fulham v Chelsea matches today and tomorrow night respectively,” a PGMOL statement said.

“Craig Pawson will now assume England’s duties as fourth official at the City Ground while Eddie Smart will take over from Cook as assistant referee at Craven Cottage.”

On Saturday, PGMOL admitted the pair had failed to act after Luis Diaz’s 34th-minute strike was incorrectly ruled out for offside. Still images of the incident showed Cristian Romero play Diaz onside.

The disallowed goal came with the match still at 0-0 but after Curtis Jones had been controversially sent off following England’s intervention.

Son Heung-min put Spurs in front moments after Diaz’s goal was disallowed, and although Cody Gakpo levelled, Tottenham went on to win 2-1 thanks to a stoppage-time own goal from Joel Matip, with Liverpool finishing with nine men after Diogo Jota also saw red.

In a statement on Saturday, PGMOL said: “PGMOL acknowledge a significant human error occurred during the first half of Tottenham Hotspur v Liverpool.

“The goal by Luis Diaz was disallowed for offside by the on-field team of match officials.

“This was a clear and obvious factual error and should have resulted in the goal being awarded through VAR intervention, however, the VAR failed to intervene.

“PGMOL will conduct a full review into the circumstances which led to the error.”

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp questioned the pressure being put on officials after the Professional Game Match Officials Limited vowed to investigate the decision to rule out a Luis Diaz goal in the Reds’ dramatic 2-1 loss at Tottenham.

Diaz looked to have put Liverpool ahead in the 34th minute when he raced on to Mohamed Salah’s through ball and rifled into the bottom corner of the net, but the offside flag was immediately raised.

A VAR check by Darren England in Stockley Park occurred, with screens inside the stadium informing supporters, but play was able to quickly resume with the effort remaining offside.

Referees’ body PGMOL has since acknowledged a “significant human error” occurred and that VAR “failed to intervene” to prevent the error.

Liverpool went on to finish the match with nine men and suffered stoppage-time heartbreak when Joel Matip deflected Pedro Porro’s cross into his own net in the sixth minute of stoppage time, but the post-match discussions focused on the crucial first-half error.

“Who does that help now? We had that situation in the Wolves-Man United game. Did Wolves get the points? No,” Klopp reflected when informed of the PGMOL statement.

“We will not get points for it so it doesn’t help. Nobody expects 100 per cent right decisions on field but we all thought when VAR comes in that it might make things easier.

“I don’t know why the people…are they that much under pressure? Today the decision was made really quick I would say for that goal. It changed the momentum of the game, so that’s how it is.”

After a breathless start at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Liverpool were reduced to 10 men in the 26th minute when Curtis Jones was sent off following a VAR review.

Jones caught Yves Bissouma with a high, studs-up tackle on his shin that initially earned him a yellow card but referee Simon Hooper upgraded the decision to a red card after he used the pitchside monitor to review the incident.

Diaz found the net six minutes later, but after it was ruled out Tottenham went ahead when captain Son Heung-min tapped home from Richarlison’s centre in the 36th minute.

Cody Gakpo levelled for Liverpool on the verge of half-time but Klopp’s problems mounted when Diogo Jota was dismissed midway through the second half following two fouls on Destiny Udogie in quick succession.

It meant Liverpool had to play the final 21 minutes in north London with nine men and their stubborn resistance was finally broken when Porro’s dangerous cross was diverted past Alisson by Matip.

Klopp added: “I told the boys after the game I am super proud and especially with 10 men they were really good. They did everything that is necessary and on top of that we were courageous.

“I don’t think there is anything to say about the offside goal. I knew at half-time.

“In the first moment I thought it was clear offside but then it is right to think they have a better view and at half-time we knew with normal pictures. Easy to see, no offside.

“But I am pretty sure whoever did make that decision did not make it on purpose. It didn’t take extremely long to come to the conclusion, that is a bit strange, but someone else has to clarify that.”

Tottenham head coach Ange Postecoglou, meanwhile, was happy to accept the rub of the green with the Diaz ruled out effort but highlighted that VAR will never be “errorless” after he watched his team’s unbeaten record stretch to seven matches in the Premier League.

He said: “I think I’m on record as saying that I’ve never really been a fan of it since it came in. Not for any other reason than I think that it complicates areas of the game that I thought were pretty clear in the past.

“We used to understand that errors were part of the game, including officiating errors. You’d have to cop it and some people would cop it better than others but that was part of the game.

“The game is littered with historical refereeing decisions that weren’t right but we all accepted it that it was part of the game because we’re dealing with human beings.

“I think that people are under the misconception that VAR is going to be errorless.

“So much of our game isn’t factual. It’s down to interpretation and they’re still human beings. They’re going to make mistakes the same way managers make mistakes, the same way players make mistakes.

“When you put such a high bar on something it invariably is going to fail, so if people are thinking that VAR is going to be something that at some point that is perfect, that’s never going to happen.”

The Professional Game Match Officials Limited has acknowledged a “significant human error” occurred during Tottenham’s 2-1 win over Liverpool after a Luis Diaz effort in the 34th-minute was incorrectly ruled out for offside.

Spurs claimed a dramatic three points after Joel Matip turned Pedro Porro’s cross into his own net in the sixth minute of stoppage time to continue the hosts’ flying start under new boss Ange Postecoglou.

Referee Simon Hooper sent off Curtis Jones and Diogo Jota either side of half-time, but Liverpool were left aggrieved by the first-half decision to rule out a Diaz 34th-minute effort.

Mohamed Salah played Diaz through and the Colombian rifled into the bottom corner, but the offside flag was raised and a quick VAR check by Darren England at Stockley Park deemed the Liverpool attacker was offside.

Still images of the incident appeared to show Cristian Romero play Diaz onside and Spurs took the lead two minutes later when Son Heung-min poked home.

Cody Gakpo did level before half-time, but Matip’s last-gasp own-goal inflicted a first Premier League defeat of the season on Jurgen Klopp’s men.

“PGMOL acknowledge a significant human error occurred during the first half of Tottenham Hotspur v Liverpool,” a PGMOL statement read.

“The goal by Luis Diaz was disallowed for offside by the on-field team of match officials.

“This was a clear and obvious factual error and should have resulted in the goal being awarded through VAR intervention, however, the VAR failed to intervene.

“PGMOL will conduct a full review into the circumstances which led to the error.”

Tottenham celebrated another jaw-dropping 2-1 stoppage-time victory as Joel Matip’s own goal finally broke nine-man Liverpool’s resistance.

Saturday evening’s box office battle pitted together exciting, resurgent sides that had both begun the new Premier League season unbeaten having bounced back from chastening campaigns last term.

Jurgen Klopp’s men were seconds away from leaving north London with a fantastic point after Cody Gakpo cancelled out Son Heung-min’s opener in a match which saw the visitors have two players sent off.

Curtis Jones and half-time introduction Diogo Jota were sent off at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, where Spurs finally beat Liverpool at the fifth time of asking.

Just like in their last home game against Sheffield United a fortnight ago, Ange Postecoglou’s men triumphed thanks to a stunning stoppage-time conclusion.

This time it was Liverpool defender Matip providing the key touch, inadvertently turning home Pedro Porro’s cross to spark wild celebrations in the sixth minute of added time.

Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag is concerned after his side suffered their worst start to a Premier League season with the 1-0 home loss to Crystal Palace.

Not since the 1989/90 campaign, when Sir Alex Ferguson was reportedly one game away from the sack, have United lost four of their first seven league games.

But Joachim Andersen’s first-half goal for Palace inflicted the same fate on the current crop, which left the Old Trafford faithful booing at the end.

It had looked like United were turning their season around after a Carabao Cup win over the same opponents on Tuesday followed victory at Burnley last weekend, but the pressure is beginning to mount on Ten Hag.

Asked whether he understood the crowd’s frustration, he said: “I understand, when we play home or away and we play Crystal Palace we have to win – with all respect.

“I know every game in the Premier League is difficult and you have to play your best, but I understand fans are expecting a win and we didn’t win and we lost.

“Of course it is a concern, we have to be more consistent, this is not the demand for Man Utd. The demand is we get a row of wins and get into a series. We have to do better than now.

“I can give you reasons but you will explain it as an excuse and there are no excuses, we have to win.”

United are having problems on home soil this season, having been fortunate to beat Wolves and Nottingham Forest, where they had to come from 2-0 down, but were soundly beaten by Brighton and have now lost to Andersen’s goal.

The Dutchman insists his side are not a soft touch.

“We lost two games in a row in the Premier League but I wouldn’t set that conclusion, but we have to do better, and that is definitely the case,” he said.

“We have to show it in our body language that Old Trafford is a fortress and you can’t get anything here and the only way you can go away is with a loss. We have to do better here.”

Palace boss Roy Hodgson could not find playing at Old Trafford any more enjoyable as he became the first Premier League manager to go five successive games unbeaten at the home of United.

It was the perfect tonic for the veteran after his side were beaten 3-0 here in the Carabao Cup on Tuesday.

“I am happy about the record, I suppose. I am most happy with how the team played today and I’m so pleased for the players,” he said.

“It’s not easy coming up here for the second time in a few days and to give that performance and to work that hard and defend as well as we did, that is what gives me the most satisfaction.

“I am not even certain I could tell you about the other games gone before but I am pretty certain I would be delighted after those as well, no doubt I would have been saying the same things.”

Asked whether this was his favourite result as Palace manager, he said: “I am hoping the favourite ones are to come, I have to be careful looking back.

“It is my favourite one for the moment that’s for certain, there may be others. At the moment I am just happy for the day and the performance and for the players.

“All credit to the players and an extra mention because Tuesday night was such a disappointment. We didn’t come here to lose 3-0, we came hoping we could progress but we were dumped out of that, so even more credit to the players to do what they did.”

Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou has acknowledged Liverpool’s trophy-laden era during the 1970s’ and 1980s’ planted the seeds for him to become a manager.

Postecoglou has made no secret of his childhood love for Liverpool and recalled on several occasions how he used to watch matches in the early hours of the morning in Australia with his dad Jim.

Kenny Dalglish was an early hero for the 58-year-old and he believes watching the teams of Bill Shankly and Bob Paisley win European Cups helped shape his pathway to a coaching career that has seen him manage across the globe.

“I was just consumed by football,” Postecoglou reflected ahead of Saturday’s visit of Liverpool.

“I’ve said before, it wasn’t just playing the game. My infatuation was with all the game, I wanted to read about it all and yeah I was fascinated by the culture at a club like Liverpool.

“The Boot Room, Shankly, Paisley, and Ronnie Moran, all those guys because I just loved reading about it. Just as I was interested reading about Sir Alex (Ferguson) or Jock Stein.

“It seemed that even at a young age I had a real fascination with managers and people of influence within the game because I loved the game.

“We all as kids have something we love and takes us away from the world we were in and that was my world. I just loved reading about the history of football clubs and the great people within them.

“Certainly Liverpool at the time there was always a unique story there about this mythical boot room where all the magic happened. For me it was almost like reading fairytales all the time.

“Obviously that has an influence, yeah it does because that’s where all the seeds are planted, my love for the game.”

Dalglish would have been the Liverpool player on Postecoglou’s wall as a child, but he was quick to point out that is no longer the case.

He added: “I was mad about Kenny Dalglish. Everything was about Dalglish for me, whether that was Celtic or Liverpool. I was a mad Kenny fan.

“It was just about that time when I was what 12, 13 and you know we look for heroes in our lives. He was it for me, scoring in European Cup finals and the way he played.

“Like any kid, I had the posters up on my wall, so Liverpool was my team, but you grow up, things change. I used to love Happy Days back then too, but I don’t have pictures of the Fonz on my wall today either!”

Postecoglou has plenty of respect for this current Liverpool team and their manager Jurgen Klopp, who will pose a huge test to the Australian’s lengthy unbeaten home record in league matches.

You have to go back to 2020, when Postecoglou was in charge of Yokohama, for the last time he lost a home league fixture – when Kashima won in the J1 League.

A dramatic stoppage-time turnaround against Sheffield United a fortnight ago made it 50 home league matches without defeat for the former Celtic boss, but he knows Liverpool will test that run.

“Over those 50 games I’ve had some big tests, I’ve had some good teams, to be fair,” Postecoglou admitted.

“I put a lot of stock in home form because that’s the time where you can give your supporters, who you know are going to be the majority in the stadium, that feeling you want to give them, of experiencing their team winning a game of football.

“I put a lot of stock in that. It’s 50 games against all types of opposition, different types of circumstances.

“There would have been games in there where we were down to 10 men, there would have been games where we would have been down. Well, two weeks ago in the 95th minute.

“There are always tests to go for that long. I’ve probably been lucky along the way too.”

Micky van de Ven is no stranger to proving people wrong and has total confidence Tottenham can continue to silence the “negative” talk which surrounded the club this summer.

The Dutch defender has been a revelation since he signed from Wolfsburg for an initial £34.5million fee and has helped Ange Postecoglou’s new-look team win four of their opening six Premier League fixtures despite the departure of record goal-scorer Harry Kane.

While Van de Ven and Spurs are enjoying a new lease of life under Postecoglou, it has not been a smooth journey for the 22-year-old with a career outside of football considered and a difficult first campaign in Germany navigated before he reached England’s top flight.

Van de Ven was on the brink of being released by Volendam during his under-19 days when Wim Jonk’s arrival as manager resulted in an unexpected first-team opportunity. Fast forward five years and he is in the Netherlands senior set-up while quickly on his way to becoming a fan favourite in N17.

“I like to prove people wrong, yeah it is true,” Van de Ven told the PA news agency after he surprised Lea Valley Primary pupils during a school football session put on by Tottenham Hotspur Foundation this week.

“My dad (Marcel) helped me also a lot at Volendam. It was a difficult situation for me because when people say they don’t trust you when you are 17-years-old, maybe you have to look for work or something.

“You have to have a second choice if you can’t make it to be a professional football player and you have to switch. I said to my dad, ‘maybe I have to work,’ and he was like, ‘no! Trust me. One day a person will come, you will get your chance and grab it’.

“So, I kept working, pushing, pushing, pushing and there was the chance and I grabbed it.

“Also when I came from Volendam and went to Wolfsburg everybody said the step was too big, but I wanted to prove people wrong, so that is the mentality.

“It is true (for Tottenham) because what I saw before I joined Spurs was that people were really negative about Spurs.

“Of course, Kane was maybe going to leave and he scored every year 30+ goals, so yeah amazing striker, but we were there to prove them wrong. I think we are doing good now, but it is just the beginning. We need to keep pushing.

“We want to be at the highest level all season, so I don’t know where it will end but we want the best.”

James Maddison, Son Heung-min and Yves Bissouma have taken the biggest plaudits for Tottenham’s transformation from a disjointed, counter-attacking team last season into a front-foot side.

Spurs have scored 15 times in six league fixtures with Son leading the way, but it is at the other end of the pitch where the bravery and boldness in possession begins with Van de Ven and centre-back partner Cristian Romero.

The duo are opposites in style with World Cup winner Romero known for his aggression, while Van de Ven appears calmness personified, but they have quickly built a bond on and off the pitch.

Van de Ven explained: “I think it naturally happened on the pitch and we felt each other quite fast, but when I came he was also really nice to me and showed me ‘here is the kitchen and where you can get this’, so he was sitting with me and we talked a bit.

“It was really nice the first couple of days I was there, but also on the pitch it felt good.

“Of course he won the World Cup, I saw him play the whole World Cup so I know his quality already.

“I think I know what Cuti’s (Romero’s) qualities are and Cuti knows what my qualities are, so we know what we expect from each other. I have his back and he has my back.

“Cuti is just an amazing player and I know when I run in one direction, he is in my back because he is always there. We just feel each other and of course it is amazing when you have this as a centre-back duo.

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“Of course we are shouting to each other (in games) but it is not in a negative role or something. It is always positive.

“I think I make him maybe more calm and he makes me more aggressive. He will (always) be a more aggressive player and I am a more calm player, but it fits each other well.”

While it is early days for the Van de Ven and Romero partnership, the youngest member of the duo is crystal clear about his personal ambitions.

Van de Ven wants to become one of the best defenders in the Premier League like compatriot Virgil van Dijk, who he will face on Saturday night when title contenders Liverpool visit Tottenham.

“I am really looking forward to seeing the fans again in the stadium and they will make it a good game from us,” the former Netherlands Under-21 captain added.

“We are going to play our own way and play like we want to play. We don’t have fear for Liverpool.

“I think Virgil was the last couple of years and this year also one of the best defenders in the Premier League, for sure.

“The year they grabbed the title he was unbelievable and showed how important he is for Liverpool. He shows how important he is the last couple of years.

“Yeah, that is my ambition to be one of the best centre-backs in the Premier League and I will work hard for it to make it happen, but I just started so hopefully I can be there in I don’t know how many years.”

:: Micky van de Ven appeared at a school’s football session delivered by the Club’s Foundation at N17 Arena – a community hub located on the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium campus.