Aston Villa boss Unai Emery has told Tottenham that qualifying for the Champions League is far tougher than it was before.
Villa host Spurs on Saturday with the two sides still in the hunt for European football next season, but with hopes of claiming a top-four Premier League place all but over for both.
Tottenham – Champions League finalists in 2019 who reached the round of 16 this season – are sixth, six points behind fourth-placed Manchester United having played a game more.
Eighth-placed Villa’s late bid to break into the top four was ended by successive 1-0 away defeats to United and Wolves over the last fortnight.
“Their expectation in the beginning was to be in the top four,” ex-Arsenal boss Emery said of his former North London neighbours.
“It’s now more difficult than it was five to 10 years ago. There are now seven teams trying to be in the top four.
“Maybe Aston Villa now as well. It’s more difficult.”
Tottenham’s search for a first trophy since League Cup success in 2008 has seen them turn to Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte since Mauricio Pochettino’s departure in November 2019.
Neither Mourinho nor Conte, both perennial winners, could sprinkle their stardust on Spurs and caretaker boss Ryan Mason now has the task of trying to secure European football next season.
Mason’s three matches in charge so far have produced a win, a draw and a defeat, with the latest game being a 1-0 home victory over Crystal Palace.
Emery said: “Tottenham have had some problems in the last month but they have very good players.
“The last match they played against Palace they kept good balance tactically and they have very powerful players in the transition, being strong defensively.
“They have very good players who can make different tactical decisions.
“The last matches against them at home here, (Villa) have struggled and it’s now a challenge to get a good performance at home.
“We have to believe in our players, in our tactical way we are progressing. That is the match on Saturday.
“To play a great match, spirit and playing and trying to get at them. They have a three-goal difference with us but our mind is to be very competitive and to get better.”
Villa quartet Boubacar Kamara, Leon Bailey, Matty Cash and Philippe Coutinho are all available.
“It’s the first time in the last month we have everybody ready to be in the squad for Saturday,” Emery said.
“Only Jed Steer is out but Cash, Kamara, Bailey, Coutinho – in the last match they were in the squad but not ready 100 per cent to play.
“Some players are still not ready to play 90 minutes, but they’re ready to be in the squad and ready to play.”
Harry Kane has insisted Tottenham should view the Europa Conference League as a chance to end the club’s trophy drought if they are involved in the competition next season.
Spurs remain in the hunt for European football after Saturday’s 1-0 win over Crystal Palace where Kane’s first-half header helped move them up to sixth in the Premier League.
Brighton, in seventh, are still favourites for Europa League qualification given they have three games in hand and are only two points off Tottenham.
A top-seven finish and therefore at least a Europa Conference League spot could be guaranteed for Spurs with victory at eighth-placed Aston Villa on Saturday but some fans have recently debated whether Europe’s third-tier tournament would be an inconvenience.
The England captain disagrees and despite uncertainty over his future, Tottenham have no intention of selling the forward this summer, which means he could play in the Europa Conference League next season.
“We’ve got three games left, a big game against Villa next week away,” Kane said.
“Obviously Brighton have a few games in hand on us. If we can come away from this season with European football, that’s a small prize at the end of a tough season.
“We’ll be fighting for that and fighting in the three games to try to pick up three wins.
“Ultimately I like to play football games no matter what competition it is. That’s what you deserve from where you finish in the season.
“You can’t disrespect any competition that you play in. It’s one of those, if you end up in the Conference League and win it, it’s worth it. If you don’t, then people probably look at it as an inconvenience.
“But when you’ve been at a club where we haven’t won a trophy for 15 years, if we do end up in it, it could be an opportunity to try and put that to bed.”
Kane’s 209th Premier League goal settled a drab contest with Palace after Tottenham kept their first top-flight clean sheet since February 26.
Ryan Mason, in only his third match since replacing Cristian Stellini as acting head coach, tweaked the 3-4-3 tactics regularly used under Antonio Conte with Spurs playing with a back four out of possession.
Former Tottenham midfielder Mason immediately put his name forward as a candidate to permanently replace Conte last month but Kane preferred to stay out of the managerial talk.
“We’re all behind him. We know the club is in a situation where I spoke about getting some of the values back. I feel like Ryan brings all those attributes,” Kane added.
“He’s been here through the academy, he knows what it’s like as a fan, he knows what it’s like to play here. With that attitude and that desire, he brings a great enthusiasm to the coaching role here.
“Ultimately it will be down to the chairman (Daniel Levy) and the club what they decide, but for these three games, we’re fully behind him to try to improve and to try to win and see what happens.
“If I end up speaking with the chairman towards the end of the season, then I’m sure he’ll fill me in on what he’s thinking.
“But ultimately we’ve got three more games, we don’t want to look too far ahead and get too carried away.
“The club will make the best decision for everyone, for the players, the fans, for the club in general, so we’ll just have to wait and see what that is.”
Meanwhile, Spurs midfielder Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg has acknowledged the club must do everything to keep Kane, who enters the final year of his contract this summer.
Hojbjerg said: “Harry is one of those players who will be in the (record) books, in the history for a very long time.
“It is important also for Harry to understand he has a big responsibility and also I think the club has a responsibility to make sure the scenario for him is the best possible.”
Tottenham have launched an investigation after it was alleged Son Heung-min was racially abused by a spectator during Saturday’s match with Crystal Palace.
Footage has circulated on social media of a man in the away end at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium allegedly making a racist gesture towards Son.
The alleged incident occurred in the 89th minute of Spurs’ 1-0 win when South Korea captain Son was replaced by substitute Arnaut Danjuma but had to walk around the outside of the pitch and past the Palace travelling support.
“We are aware of an allegation of racial abuse towards Heung-Min Son during yesterday’s match,” a Tottenham statement read.
“Discrimination of any kind is abhorrent and has no place in society, our game and at our club.
“We are working with Met Police and Crystal Palace to investigate and identify the individual involved.
“We will do everything in our powers to ensure that if found guilty, the individual will receive the strongest possible action – as was the case earlier this season when Son suffered similar racial abuse at Chelsea.”
The PA news agency has contacted Crystal Palace for comment.
Tottenham supporters’ group Spurs REACH, which stands for Race, Ethnicity and Cultural Heritage, wrote on Twitter: “Why oh, who, oh why, do adults in this day and age think that this is an acceptable way to behave towards another human being?
“We sincerely hope that Crystal Palace Football Club identify and ban this individual for life!”
Son was also racially abused during a match between Chelsea and Tottenham at Stamford Bridge in August.
Chelsea banned a season-ticket holder indefinitely after footage emerged on social media of a fan in the home end making a racist gesture towards the Spurs attacker in the 2-2 draw.
The Crown Prosecution Service in March issued the Chelsea supporter with an order banning him from attending live football matches for three years.
Ryan Mason paid tribute to the collective after Tottenham claimed a first clean sheet in the Premier League since February.
Harry Kane’s first-half header, his 28th goal of the season, earned Spurs a 1-0 win over Crystal Palace on Saturday that kept them in the hunt for a top-six finish.
Kane moved ahead of Wayne Rooney into second on the all-time Premier League goal-scorer list with his 209th top-flight strike but it was the other end of the pitch where Tottenham’s improvement was noticeable.
After conceding six at Newcastle and four at Liverpool during the last two weekends, Mason used his full week on the training pitch to tweak the 3-4-3 system used for the best part of 18 months since Antonio Conte took over.
Spurs went with a back four out of possession and it worked to good effect after Palace were limited to minimal chances with the hosts able to register a first league clean sheet since February 26 versus Chelsea.
“When you keep a clean sheet, it’s a collective. It’s everyone and everyone fought for the clean sheet,” Mason said.
“The players on the pitch but also the ones who didn’t because in the training week we’ve all worked hard together and they’re the results you want.
“We understand the importance of the win and the clean sheet as well is a great response from the players because maybe mentally when you concede so many goals in a short space of time, it can have an impact but the players have worked hard.
“The whole squad has worked hard on the training pitch. We’ve had a bit of time together to try and influence things and they responded. I thought it was a cagey game but overall we deserved the three points.”
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Spurs have spent the whole of this season using a 3-4-3 system but Cristian Stellini, who stepped up from assistant to replace Conte, went with a back four at Newcastle last month.
It ended up having disastrous consequences with Tottenham 5-0 down inside 21 minutes and Stellini ultimately losing his job as acting head coach as a result.
Mason hinted upon taking charge it would be hard for him to make changes for the Manchester United and Liverpool fixtures, but after a week on the training ground reverted to a back four, which he used in his previous caretaker spell in 2021.
He added: “We added a sixth man into the press and tried to be a bit more aggressive.
“I have to compliment the players because when you’ve been working in a certain way for so long, to make that change at this stage of the season it’s very positive for me.”
Roy Hodgson, who watched Crystal Palace lose for only a second time since his return, acknowledged the respect Spurs had given the visitors with their formation.
“I saw us on the ball for large periods of the game and I saw us attempting to get into the right areas,” he said.
“We didn’t have the success we had last week (against West Ham) or the weeks before, but that’s a credit to Tottenham deciding to defend as they did against us.
“It’s never easy to find that bit of space when there are a lot of players in and around the box.”
Roy Hodgson labelled Harry Kane as one of the best players in world football and expects his goal-threat to pose a hard challenge for Crystal Palace during their visit to Tottenham on Saturday.
The Spurs and England striker has scored 25 times this Premier League campaign, with four games remaining to try and better his record tally of 30 goals from the 2017/18 season.
Former Three Lions boss Hodgson, who handed Kane his senior international debut in 2015, lauded Tottenham’s talisman, whose form has been a shining light for the north London club despite their struggles throughout a turbulent campaign.
The Palace managed said: “Kane is one of the very best players in world football and is an outstanding goalscorer.
“The need for you to defend well as a group becomes even harder, because one thing we aren’t going to do or be capable of doing is to say we are going to nullify Harry Kane because ‘X’ is going to mark him and that’s the end of the story. We know that won’t be able to work.
“We’re going to do it by good corporate defending. We’ll have to try and restrict as much as we can any good service to him.
“We’ll have to be very much aware when he’s in and around the penalty area, where we’ve got to get close to him and try and stop the space he has to create the room he needs to get the shots away. When he gets shots away they go in the goal, it’s what we’ve seen for the last goodness knows how long.
“I have an awful amount of respect for Harry Kane. He made his debut with England while I was the manager, and over the years I’ve watched him go from strength to strength and get better and better and cause havoc with almost all the defences he meets.”
Palace have witnessed an upturn in form under Hodgson since his return in March, having picked up four wins in six – a run the manager attributes to the defensive performances of his team.
Last month’s consecutive clean sheets against Southampton and Everton were the first time the Eagles had done so since April 2022 under former manager Patrick Vieira.
“Much of our work is on defending,” said Hodgson.
“If you wanted to say to me what’s most impressed you about (Michael) Olise, (Eberechi) Eze, (Jordan) Ayew, (Wilfried) Zaha and (Jeffrey) Schlupp, it’s been there defending work, how well they’ve defended from the front, how well they’ve screened things off and made it difficult for teams in midfield to play.
“Marc Guehi and (Joachim) Andersen are very good players. They’re good defenders and good on the ball, which is very useful because it helps you start attacks, switch play and develop the composure you need to build attacks up.
“They’re both very useful to the club and would be to any club because they’re good players.”
Crystal Palace manager Roy Hodgson remains wary of the threat posed by Harry Kane and his Tottenham team-mates, despite their London rivals’ recent struggles.
Spurs, under interim boss Ryan Mason, host Palace on Saturday looking to end a four-match winless run which has included three defeats.
Hodgson in contrast has won four of his six games since returning to Palace, including a thrilling 4-3 win over West Ham last time out.
Tottenham were on the wrong end of the same scoreline against Liverpool in their last game, conceding a stoppage-time winner moments after equalising, but Hodgson, who gave Kane his England debut in 2015, is not reading too much into their poor form.
“I think the danger for all teams that go to (Tottenham Hotspur Stadium) is that you’re up against a good team with very good players,” he said. “I think Harry Kane is very close to world class, if not in my opinion fully deserving of it.
“There’s a lot of players in their team as well who have got incredible ability. They’re still vying for a Champions League place, we know how difficult a game it will be.
“Crystal Palace when I was at the club didn’t go to Tottenham and win matches, so if we do that it will probably be a first for me I should think.”
Palace’s win over West Ham saw his team hit the 40-point mark and Hodgson wants his players to maintain their drive and ambition.
“I’m hoping more from my point of view to finish the season well,” he said. “I think it’s been a very good six games and 13 points is an excellent reward from six games, but I’d like that to be a good reward now after 10 games and that would be dependent on how much drive and ambition players have.
“I can’t guarantee the players will maintain their desire, but they’ll be given every opportunity
“We need to keep winning and to win you need the lot. You need the desire, the attitude, focus, preparation, quality of attacking play, quality of defending play. You need to be switched on at all times over the course of the game, you need to defend set-plays well, you need to use your own set-plays very well and then you need that little bit of luck.”
Hodgson was full of praise for his side’s attacking players.
The four goals against the Hammers meant Palace have now scored 13 times in his six games at the helm.
“The attacking talent we have in that front six is good without a shadow of a doubt,” he said.
“We’re talking about playing at the highest level (in the Premier League). I am full of praise and admiration for them and I can only hope that they will go on for even more success as the seasons go by.”
Harry Kane may struggle to resist the temptation to leave Tottenham in search of major honours at the end of the season, believes former Spurs striker Frederic Kanoute.
While Kane has hit 25 Premier League goals during another fine individual campaign, his quest to win a first major trophy never looked likely to end during a frustrating season for Spurs.
Tottenham sit nine points adrift of the top four after Sunday's dramatic 4-3 defeat at Liverpool, and chairman Daniel Levy has already sacked two head coaches in the form of Antonio Conte and his interim replacement Cristian Stellini.
With Kane about to enter the final 12 months of his contract, reports have suggested he could be targeted by Manchester United in the upcoming transfer window, while Paris Saint-Germain are also said to hold an interest in the 29-year-old.
Kane wanted to leave Tottenham for Manchester City in 2021, and Kanoute believes the England captain could be enticed by the prospect of an exit this time around.
Speaking to Stats Perform at LaLiga x Bloomsbury Football League event, Kanoute said: "I can't speak on his behalf but, obviously, the fans would be really, really disappointed if he leaves the club because he's been fantastic.
"At the same time, I think they understand as well that it could be a good opportunity, a huge opportunity for him to win trophies.
"I think he will be a little bit conflicted in the next choice he is going to have to make."
Tottenham are yet to name Conte's permanent successor, with Ryan Mason taking the reins as acting head coach following Stellini's exit.
With the likes of Julian Nagelsmann, Xabi Alonso and Vincent Kompany linked with the role, Kanoute has urged Spurs to look to the future with their next appointment.
"I wish all the best for Mason and I hope he's going to do a great job, but we all think it's going to be temporary," he said.
"Obviously the next appointment is going to be super important as I think it should be a long-term appointment, but as we know nowadays in football, there's not much patience.
"I just hope the new coach will start with a few wins that will bring some positive momentum for the club.
"It's obvious that they're missing silverware and that's all the Tottenham fans are hoping that Tottenham can finally win a trophy, but I think there's a kind of unsettlement in the team.
"If you want a trophy, you have to build it up, to have a certain stability with the coach, with the philosophy of what kind of football you want to deliver to the fans.
"I think they're still to reach that stability, so they can finally thrive in their football."
Sevilla great Freddie Kanoute fancies his former side's chances for Europa League glory as they aim to atone for their "very bad" start to the season.
Kanoute remains Sevilla's highest-scoring non-Spanish player in history after netting 136 goals in 290 matches, lifting two UEFA Cups, a UEFA Super Cup and two Copa del Rey trophies during his time there.
The former striker has watched on as his old club struggled this term, dismissing coaches Julen Lopetegui – who is now at Wolves – in October and Jorge Sampaoli in March.
Sevilla have finally settled under the stewardship of Jose Luis Mendilibar, the LaLiga side reaching the Europa League semi-finals where they will face Juventus in a two-legged affair across this month.
Mendilibar's team also sit 11th in the Spanish top flight and Kanoute remains relieved to see an upturn in form for Sevilla, who overcame Manchester United in the Europa League quarter-final last month.
Kanoute, speaking to Stats Perform at LaLiga x Bloomsbury Football League event, said: "There are no other words, very bad at the beginning, they were struggling a lot, a couple of changes of coaches, which always unsettles the team.
"In the last few weeks, they've been improving, winning some important games and, at least they're not in the relegation battle anymore.
"I think they are ending the season quite well and it also reflects what they're doing in the Europa League, so hopefully they're going to have a great end of the season."
Kanoute played in the Premier League for West Ham and then Tottenham before his move in 2005 to Sevilla's Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan.
The former Mali international scored 43 goals in 144 Premier League appearances but Kanoute believes there is little difference between two of Europe's top divisions now.
"My record says that I've scored more goals in LaLiga, it's not necessarily harder in the Premier League," he added. "I think it depends on your style. It depends on the kind of football you're playing.
"It depends on your understanding of the game, but I would say there are fewer and fewer differences between the style because football now is so global and you have so much influence from foreign coaches even here in the Premier League.
"I would say personally, where I enjoyed my football the most was in La Liga because that's where I could win some silverware, but apart from that, it depends on each individual."
Sevilla great Freddie Kanoute fancies his former side's chances for Europa League glory to atone for their "very bad" start to the season.
Kanoute remains Sevilla's highest-scoring non-Spanish player in history after netting 136 goals in 290 matches, lifting two UEFA Cups, a UEFA Super Cup and two Copa del Rey trophies during his time there.
The former striker has watched on as his old club struggled this term, dismissing coaches Julen Lopetegui – who is now at Wolves – in October and Jorge Sampaoli in March.
Sevilla have finally settled under the stewardship of Jose Luis Mendilibar, the LaLiga side reaching the Europa League semi-finals where they will face Juventus in a two-legged affair across this month.
Mendilibar's team also sit 11th in the Spanish top flight and Kanoute remains relieved to see an upturn in form for Sevilla, who overcame Manchester United in the Europa League quarter-final last month.
Kanoute, speaking to Stats Perform at LaLiga x Bloomsbury Football League event, said: "There are no other words, very bad at the beginning, they were struggling a lot, a couple of changes of coaches, which always unsettles the team.
"In the last few weeks, they've been improving, winning some important games and, at least they're not in the relegation battle anymore.
"I think they are ending the season quite well and it also reflects what they're doing in the Europa League, so hopefully they're going to have a great end of the season."
Kanoute played in the Premier League for West Ham and then Tottenham before his move in 2005 to Sevilla's Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan.
The former Mali international scored 43 goals in 144 Premier League appearances but Kanoute believes there is little difference between two of Europe's top divisions now.
"My record says that I've scored more goals in LaLiga, it's not necessarily harder in the Premier League," he added. "I think it depends on your style. It depends on the kind of football you're playing.
"It depends on your understanding of the game, but I would say there are fewer and fewer differences between the style because football now is so global and you have so much influence from foreign coaches even here in the Premier League.
"I would say personally, where I enjoyed my football the most was in La Liga because that's where I could win some silverware, but apart from that, it depends on each individual."
Tottenham’s habit of starting games slowly left Harry Kane exasperated after Sunday’s 4-3 defeat at Anfield.
Liverpool raced into a 3-0 lead inside the first 15 minutes before Spurs fought back to 3-3, only to concede a stoppage-time winner.
“Dreadful start in the first 20 minutes, not the first time it’s happened this season, so we need to start understanding moments better, start understanding big games better,” Kane said.
Here, the PA news agency picks out some key stats behind Tottenham’s slow starts.
Wait and see
Only a third of Tottenham’s 63 Premier League goals this season have been scored in the first half, the lowest share of any team in the top flight.
If games ended after 45 minutes, Spurs would be ninth in the league, with 10 wins out of 34 and a goal difference of -9 (21 goals scored compared with 30 conceded).
In contrast, their record in the second period – 17 victories and a goal difference of +15 (42 goals for, 27 against) – is bettered by only Manchester City and Arsenal.
Tottenham were even more conservative in cup competitions under previous manager Antonio Conte.
Apart from netting three times in the opening 36 minutes at home to Eintracht Frankfurt, Spurs failed to score before half-time in 11 of their 12 matches in the Champions League, FA Cup and Carabao Cup.
Mountain to climb
Tottenham have consistently fallen behind in games, conceding the first goal in 18 of their 34 Premier League fixtures.
They have shipped 20 goals in the first 25 minutes of matches – the most in the division – nine of which have come in the last three games against top-four rivals Newcastle, Manchester United and Liverpool.
Having conceded five in the opening 21 minutes at St James’ Park in the second-worst start to a match in Premier League history (behind Watford who shipped five in 18 minutes against Manchester City in 2019), Spurs have since allowed early goals by United’s Jadon Sancho and Liverpool’s Curtis Jones, Luis Diaz and Mohamed Salah.
Inviting pressure
Tottenham’s underlying numbers suggest that their cautious first-half approach could be a deliberate tactic.
In the Premier League, they have taken a total of 205 shots in the first period, while allowing 240 efforts on their own goal.
Aston Villa, Fulham and Brentford are the only other teams in the top half of the league to have been outshot before half-time.
Spurs look to turn the tables in the second 45 minutes, with 267 shots for compared with 235 against.
They are the only side in the league to have faced fewer shots in the second half – when teams are more likely to be chasing a goal – than the first.
Liverpool still hold out hope they can scrape into the top four but their late charge for Champions League football could be derailed if manager Jurgen Klopp’s comments about referee Paul Tierney come back to bite them.
Following the dramatic 4-3 victory over Tottenham, in which the Reds needed an added-time winner from Diogo Jota to extend a four-match winning run after squandering a 3-0 lead from the opening 15 minutes, Klopp said he did not know what the official “has against us”.
Klopp was booked for his over-zealous celebration in front of fourth official John Brooks but said of Tierney’s attitude: “What he said to me when he gave me the yellow card is not OK.”
The Professional Game Match Officials Limited was quick to respond, saying in a statement: “PGMOL is aware of the comments made by Jurgen Klopp after his side’s fixture with Tottenham Hotspur.
“Match officials in the Premier League are recorded in all games via a communications system and having fully reviewed the audio of referee Paul Tierney from today’s fixture, we can confirm he acted in a professional manner throughout including when issuing the caution to the Liverpool manager so, therefore, we strongly refute any suggestion that Tierney’s actions were improper.”
But it is Klopp’s suggestion of bias which is likely to land him in trouble with the Football Association and could lead to him receiving a touchline ban for Liverpool’s remaining few matches.
He was previously warned about his conduct after being banned for one match and fined £30,000 after the FA successfully won an appeal against the leniency of his punishment for berating an assistant referee during October’s home win over Manchester City.
The absence of Klopp from the touchline for any or all of Liverpool’s eminently-winnable remaining matches against Fulham, Brentford, Leicester, Aston Villa and Southampton could kill their momentum and blow their outside chances of catching fourth-placed Manchester United, who are currently seven points ahead with a match in hand.
One mistake and the best Liverpool can hope for is Europa League football but they came close to throwing it away against Spurs having coasted into a three-goal lead through strikes from Curtis Jones, Luis Diaz and Mohamed Salah.
Harry Kane equalled Wayne Rooney’s Premier League tally of 208 goals just before half-time, leaving only Alan Shearer (260) ahead of him in the all-time list, and when Richarlison’s first league strike in added time followed Son Heung-min’s 77th-minute effort, Spurs looked like they had escaped with an unlikely draw.
However, just 99 seconds after equalising, Jota slotted in his fifth goal in four matches to spark wild – some would argue too wild in Klopp’s case – celebrations as Liverpool’s slim Champions League qualification hopes were kept alive.
“Sometimes we don’t half make it hard for ourselves,” said midfielder Harvey Elliott, back in the side after almost a month.
“We started the game unbelievably well, got three goals in quick succession, and personally I think we took our foot off the gas a little bit and allowed them to play a bit more football while not playing football ourselves.
“It’s a tough one to explain. It’s not a lack of concentration. Maybe because going 3-0 up early hardly ever happens so the way we deal with it is new to us.
“It’s always a hard situation because emotions are high, performing well and then we just decide to switch and didn’t do our game-plan.
“We decided to keep the ball and I felt it was just a bit slow in the way we moved it around and that caused ourselves problems. That’s something we need to snap out of.”
Ryan Mason, two matches into another spell as interim head coach following the sacking of Cristian Stellini after the 6-1 embarrassment at Newcastle, was less interested in Tottenham’s top-four chances now they had dropped to sixth than he was of repairing some of the recent damage.
“My priority is to get some togetherness, create some good feelings and energy around the place and bring our fans with us,” he said.
“The only way to do that is winning matches so it’s difficult to take. We’re just devastated in the way we lost the game.”
The Professional Game Match Officials Limited has refuted Jurgen Klopp’s claims that referee Paul Tierney acted improperly during Liverpool’s 4-3 win against Tottenham on Sunday.
Klopp was shown a yellow card by Tierney for his wild celebrations in front of fourth official John Brooks after Diogo Jota’s stoppage-time winner at Anfield, just 99 seconds after Richarlison had hauled Tottenham level in a seven-goal thriller.
The Liverpool manager pulled his hamstring in the process and in his post-match interview heavily criticised Tierney, accusing the match official of speaking to him in a manner which “was not OK”.
But PGMOL said in a statement: “PGMOL is aware of the comments made by Jurgen Klopp after his side’s fixture with Tottenham Hotspur.
“Match officials in the Premier League are recorded in all games via a communications system and having fully reviewed the audio of referee Paul Tierney from today’s fixture, we can confirm he acted in a professional manner throughout including when issuing the caution to the Liverpool manager so, therefore, we strongly refute any suggestion that Tierney’s actions were improper.”
Klopp faces heavy censure by the Football Association for his comments and touchline behaviour.
The German escaped a touchline ban in October and was instead fined £30,000 by an independent commission following his sending-off for confronting referee Anthony Taylor during Liverpool’s match against Manchester City at Anfield.
After Liverpool had snatched victory against Tottenham, Klopp told Sky Sports: “We have our history with Tierney, I really don’t know what he has against us, he has said there is no problem but that cannot be true.
“How he looks at me, I don’t understand it. My celebration was unnecessary, which is fair but what he said to me when he gave me the yellow card is not OK.”
When asked what Tierney had said, Klopp added: “I will not say anything about it. The refs don’t say what is said so I don’t say what is said.”
Klopp reignited his long-running feud with Tierney and referred back to last season’s 2-2 draw against Tottenham in London.
Klopp said: “Paul Tierney didn’t give Harry Kane a red card but Robbo (Andy Robertson) got a red card. It was not the first time, there are so many things.”
On his celebration in front of the fourth official, Klopp added: “Of course, we are emotional in these moments. It’s difficult. It is not OK, we shouldn’t do that. Yes, we are role models but we are human beings first and foremost.
“I didn’t say a bad word to the fourth official – not at all – but I pulled my hamstring probably in that moment so, fair enough, I’m already punished.
“A fair punishment for behaving not the right away. I have pain for a few days, Mr Tierney not.”
Jurgen Klopp slammed referee Paul Tierney after he made a series of contentious decisions in Liverpool's dramatic 4-3 win over Tottenham, saying: "I really don't know what this man has against us."
Having looked set for a routine win when they scored three times inside the first 15 minutes, Liverpool squandered their commanding lead before clinching a remarkable victory in stoppage time.
Diogo Jota latched onto Lucas Moura's mistake to fire home the winner, prompting an emotional Klopp to celebrate in front of the fourth official – an act that saw the Reds boss both injure his leg and receive a yellow card from Tierney.
Klopp was angered by Tierney's decision to award a foul against Mohamed Salah in the build-up to Tottenham's equaliser, though his opposite number Ryan Mason felt Jota should earlier have been sent off for catching Oliver Skipp in the head with a high boot.
Recalling Tierney's failure to send off Tottenham talisman Harry Kane in a 2021 meeting between the sides, Klopp said the official has "history" with Liverpool.
"It was very emotional, of course, especially the situation before their third goal," Klopp told Sky Sports. "How they can give a foul on Salah up front? The linesman is directly there and keeps his flag down.
"We have our history with Tierney. I really don't know what this man has against us; he will always say there are no problems, but that cannot be true. I don't understand.
"How he looks at me, I don't understand it. I really have no problems with any people, and not with him either. He was the referee at Tottenham when Harry Kane didn't get the red card.
"In England, nobody has to clarify these situations, it's really tricky and difficult to understand.
"My celebration towards the fourth official – I didn't say any bad words, but it was unnecessary. I got punished for that immediately, I pulled my hamstring or whatever, so fine, that's fair.
"But what he said to me when he gave me the yellow card is not okay."
Pushed on what Tierney allegedly told him, Klopp said: "It's not possible, I already said what I wanted to say."
When told of Mason's view on Jota's high challenge, Klopp said: "Ryan has to worry about other stuff. They're such a good football team, Tottenham, they have to play better football.
"They can't just counter-attack. Diogo Jota has the foot high, but he's not going for the head.
"I heard Skipp could've had a red card. Did he speak about that as well? Wanting Diogo off the pitch... worry about other stuff."
The victory – Liverpool's fourth in as many Premier League games – lifts Klopp's men above Spurs into fifth, though they remain seven points adrift of Manchester United in fourth.
Asked if Liverpool could still make the top four, Klopp said: "Of course not. If United and Newcastle win all their games then how can we get there?
"If they start losing them, we are close. Until then, we have to win football games to qualify for Europe at all."
Tottenham interim head coach Ryan Mason feels he deserves an explanation as to why Diogo Jota was still on the pitch to score an added-time winner for Liverpool after his head-high challenge on Oliver Skipp warranted only a yellow.
The Portugal international struck to secure a 4-3 victory just 99 seconds after Richarlison thought his first Premier League goal for the club had secured a late point having come back from 3-0 down.
However, Mason was incredulous that the substitute’s high boot, which cut Skipp’s head, did not warrant a red card.
“I would like an explanation and a reason why it wasn’t. I can understand referees on the pitch missing it,” he said.
“My feeling at the minute was an instant red card because when your foot is five-and-a-half foot off the ground and makes contact and there is a gash, it ticks all the boxes.
“We want the VAR to help the official on the pitch at that moment, but an experienced referee and VAR haven’t given it.
“A player that shouldn’t be on the pitch decided the game.
“I felt like we didn’t get that decision, it was a big decision, a crucial decision and one you can’t really miss.
“I find it hard and impossible to really understand why.”
Mason was doubly unhappy after seeing his side fight back from conceding goals to Curtis Jones, Luis Diaz and Mohamed Salah (a penalty) inside the opening 15 minutes to draw level in the third minute of added time after Richarlison added to goals from Harry Kane and Son Heung-min.
“We come here and create so many chances,” he said. “On another day we win it with ease.”
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp was also unhappy with some of the officiating, so much so that he pulled a hamstring charging down the touchline to celebrate wildly in front of fourth official John Brooks.
Former referees chief Keith Hackett wrote on Twitter that Klopp’s behaviour was “unacceptable” and that “if we are to get improvement of the Technical area occupants then the law MUST be applied. Do not allow your authority to be eroded”.
Klopp’s issue was more with referee Paul Tierney, but his post-match comments about the official may get him into disciplinary trouble.
“We have our history with Tierney, I really don’t know what he has against us, he has said there is no problem but that cannot be true,” he told Sky Sports.
“How he looks at me, I don’t understand it. My celebration was unnecessary, which is fair but what he said to me when he gave me the yellow card is not OK.”
When asked what Tierney had said, Klopp added: “I will not say anything about it. The refs don’t say what is said so I don’t say what is said.”
However, he still went on to criticise Tierney and their history, referring to last season’s 2-2 draw in London.
Klopp said: “Paul Tierney didn’t give Harry Kane a red card but Robbo (Andy Robertson) got a red card. It was not the first time, there are so many things.”
On his celebration in front of the fourth official, Klopp added: “Of course, we are emotional in these moments. It’s difficult. It is not OK, we shouldn’t do that. Yes, we are role models but we are human beings first and foremost.
“I didn’t say a bad word to the fourth official – not at all – but I pulled my hamstring probably in that moment so, fair enough, I’m already punished.
“A fair punishment for behaving not the right away. I have pain for a few days, Mr Tierney not.”
Harry Kane delivered a scathing assessment of Tottenham after a last-gasp defeat to Liverpool as the striker conceded his side deserve to be in the position they are in.
Spurs found themselves three goals down in the first 15 minutes at Anfield as Curtis Jones, Luis Diaz and Mohamed Salah netted for Jurgen Klopp's men on Sunday.
Just a week on from a 6-1 defeat at Newcastle United, in which they were 5-0 down after 21 minutes, Tottenham this time almost pulled off an unlikely comeback.
Harry Kane and Son Heung-min set up a tantalising finish before Richarlison equalised in the 93rd minute, only for Diogo Jota to score a minute later to snatch a 4-3 win for Liverpool.
That saw the Reds leapfrog Spurs into fifth, and Kane acknowledged his team can have no complaints after another dire first-half showing.
"There's only so many words you can use, the bottom line is you need to go out there and show it isn't that case," the England captain told Sky Sports.
"It's on us to go away, find a reason why and see how it improves the situation. In these moments and these games, you can't do what we did at the end. It's a feeling of gut-wrenching defeat.
"The table doesn't lie, where we are doesn't lie. We've got some fantastic players and moments, but as a team we aren't playing good enough collectively.
"We need to show we can go through games when it isn't going our way. We deserve to be where we are.
"We have four games. This one is going to be hard to take, but we have a week until the next game, so we have to move on."
An insipid first-half showing from Tottenham was almost atoned for when Richarlison headed in, although the celebrations were soon cut short as Lucas Moura inadvertently rolled in Jota to slot past Fraser Forster.
Spurs were aggrieved substitute Jota was still on the pitch at that point, though, with claims the Portugal forward should have been dismissed for a second-half aerial lunge on Oliver Skipp.
Jota was shown a yellow card for catching the head of Skipp with a flying boot, although interim Tottenham boss Ryan Mason believed the tackle deserved a red.
Mason told BBC Radio 5 Live: "Honestly, it's probably the clearest red card you will see on the football pitch. I need an explanation.
"It endangered the opponent, Skipp needs stitches, and Jota has scored the goal when he shouldn't be on the pitch."
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