VARs Darren England and Daniel Cook will return to Premier League duty this weekend following their error in last month’s fixture between Tottenham and Liverpool.
England and Cook were the VAR and VAR assistant respectively when Liverpool forward Luis Diaz’s goal was incorrectly ruled out for offside in Tottenham’s 2-1 home win.
Both officials were stood down the following week, but England will be back as the fourth official for Brentford’s home game against Burnley on Saturday and Cook will return as assistant referee for Sheffield United’s home match against Manchester United.
Miscommunication between VAR England and referee Simon Hooper led to Diaz’s goal being wrongly ruled out on September 30, with the incident later described by referees’ chief Howard Webb as “a clear error”.
Hooper is the designated VAR for Newcastle’s home game against Crystal Palace on Saturday.
New VAR guidelines were introduced in the wake of the Diaz disallowed goal controversy, while audio of the incident was later released.
England mistakenly thought the on-field officials had ruled Diaz to be onside, which meant that when he told them ‘check complete’ they believed he had upheld their on-field decision and restarted play with a free-kick.
Once play had restarted, there was nothing the VARs could do to revisit the decision under existing protocols.
Referees’ body Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) said it would develop a new VAR communication protocol in an effort to avoid similar mistakes being made in future.
PGMOL said the protocol would “enhance the clarity of communication between the referee and the VAR team in relation to on-field decisions”.
VARs will now also confirm the outcome of the checking process with the assistant VAR before confirming the final decision to the on-field officials.
One of the talking points from the latest round of fixtures was referee Michael Oliver’s decision not to send off Manchester City’s Mateo Kovacic for a challenge on Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard.
The City midfielder was shown a yellow card before avoiding another shortly afterwards and Webb later admitted Kovacic was “fortunate” to stay on the pitch.
Oliver will referee Sheffield United’s home game against Manchester United on Saturday.
Australia play England at Wembley on Friday night but former national team head coach Ange Postecoglou does not envisage football truly taking off in his home country like it dominates in his current residence.
Postecoglou has enjoyed an excellent start at Tottenham and they are joint-leaders of the Premier League after eight matches going into this month’s international break.
Optimism is rife at Spurs but their 58-year-old manager remains pessimistic about the state of football in Australia, despite his nation co-hosting a successful Women’s World Cup this summer where the Matildas finished fourth.
Postecoglou spent four years in charge of the Socceroos and – despite achieving plenty – he has given up hope of the sport cracking life Down Under with subtle digs aimed at governing body Football Australia ahead of Friday’s friendly clash in London.
Asked about his Asian Cup win on home soil in 2015, Postecoglou replied: “It didn’t make an impact back there and that was kind of my frustration.
“I don’t think that anything they can achieve… when you look at what the Matildas did at the World Cup, unbelievable but you still won’t see an influx of resources to the game. You won’t. I guarantee it.
“They’ll build stadiums and other codes will use them. I just don’t think the nation as a whole has that inside them to understand you can make an impact on the world of football but it requires a kind of nationalistic approach that I just don’t think Australians – at their core – are really interested in.
“There’s a couple of things. One of them is obviously the sporting landscape, where there’s some pretty strong codes there that have generationally dominated the landscape.
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“There’s Aussie Rules, that’s the indigenous sport of Australia. It’s kind of unique to them and they take great pride in protecting as their code. The rugby codes dominate.
“It’s very hard for football to make an impact in that space and I guess then the flipside of that is just how global the sport of football is.
“If I can compare that to a country like Japan, who also have the tyranny of distance and baseball’s pretty strong, they plant a lot of resources into football and you can see that’s making an impact. I don’t see Australia down that road.”
Japan was Postecoglou’s next destination when he walked away from the Socceroos job after he helped his country qualify for the 2018 World Cup.
The ex-Yokohama boss had managed Australia at the 2014 edition, but his departure seven months out from the global showpiece was a surprise and at the time he described the job as “taking a toll” both personally and professionally.
Postecoglou has been involved in coaching since 1996 and while he has taken the Premier League by storm so far, he does not expect his time at Tottenham to change the landscape of football in Australia.
“I don’t. I don’t know and maybe that’s just me, not being cynical, but I gave up that fight,” he explained.
“It’s a much easier space for me to live in because I was so frustrated for so long. It was my biggest frustration. One of my major drivers for doing what I did was to do that – to change football in Australia and that’s the reason I left.
“I felt I hadn’t made an impact at all. That’s easier for me to deal with than to think maybe I still can now with what I’m doing. I just think I’d be disappointed, so I’d prefer to think it’s not going to happen.
“I walked away from a World Cup. We qualified and I walked away. The reason I walked away was I just didn’t enjoy what I was doing.
“It’s not just doing the job and winning games of football, it’s got to be a higher purpose. My higher purpose in Australia was to change the game. I just don’t think that will happen.
“It was the right decision for me (to leave), it was the right decision for where I saw the next stage of my career and if I didn’t make that decision at that time, if I had waited until after the World Cup, I’ve got no doubt I wouldn’t be sitting here now.”
Postecoglou replied no when asked if he would manage Australia again and laughed off talk of replacing England chief Gareth Southgate.
He added: “England? Oh, come on mate. They’ve got a fantastic manager and I’m eight games into a Tottenham career. That’s how I think.”
Football Association chief executive Mark Bullingham has raised the prospect of the game’s lawmakers examining whether audio between referees and VARs should be available live.
Miscommunication between VAR Darren England and referee Simon Hooper led to a Luis Diaz goal for Liverpool at Tottenham being wrongly disallowed last month, leading to further calls for such conversations to be played out in real time.
The incident caused huge controversy, with Reds manager Jurgen Klopp even calling for the match to be replayed.
Broadcasting the conversations between on-field officials and VARs live is currently prohibited under football’s laws.
Bullingham, who is a director at the International Football Association Board (IFAB) which has the power to change the game’s laws, said the organisation had discussed the subject but added: “Generally there is a split in the room over that, and quite often it is between the marketing and commercial people and the referees.
“Our point of view, from the marketing and commercial perspective, would normally be that transparency is a really good thing, and we want fans to have the maximum experience.”
Bullingham said an ongoing FIFA trial where referees announce and explain the outcome of an on-field review is a “step in the right direction” but added: “My personal point of view is I do think (live audio) will continue to be a question over time, because the greater transparency shows how difficult the referee’s job is, and it has worked in other sport.
“There is an understandable nervousness from others that the referee’s job is hard enough as it is. In a tournament you have referees with multiple languages, so it is not as straightforward as some might suggest.
“So I think we are taking a step in the right direction with announcing the decision and explaining why it has been reached. Let’s see if that leads to further progression.”
Bullingham’s Irish FA counterpart and fellow IFAB director Patrick Nelson spoke more cautiously on the VAR decision-making process, adding: “We just need to see more evidence on this at the moment.
“It’s interesting when we look at recent examples but we still need to remember that VAR as an entire concept is relatively in its infancy compared to the game of football and compared to IFAB. There is still more that we can learn.”
The PA news agency understands the IFAB is set to open up the trial of in-stadium announcements by referees beyond FIFA events to other interested competitions.
The IFAB may also look again at the wording of Principle 10 in the VAR protocol, which currently prevents VARs from revisiting a decision once play has restarted and meant the officials could not call play back after the Diaz error.
It could be updated to allow a decision to be revisited where a clear mistake has occurred, and where no significant action has taken place since play restarted.
Bullingham also said he was aware IFAB had been asked to consider widening the scope of VAR to rule on decisions such as corner kick and free-kick awards.
“I think we would be really reluctant to have a game that was stopped a lot more than it currently is, but that will be a proper discussion,” he added.
VAR interventions are currently limited to goals, penalties, straight red cards and mistaken identity.
James Maddison is aiming to impress on England duty this week – but admits the international break has come at an “annoying” time with Tottenham sat atop the Premier League.
The summer signing from relegated Leicester has hit the ground running in north London, scoring twice and assisting five times in the opening eight league games of the new season.
Maddison’s form has played a key part in Ange Postecoglou’s men setting the pace heading into the second international window of the campaign, with Spurs edging out neighbours Arsenal at the top of the division by virtue of goals scored.
Asked if he was in the form of his life, the 26-year-old told BBC Radio 5Live: “Potentially, I feel really good to be honest.
“I feel at the top of my game, and that is contributing to wins at the minute, and we have started the season really well, and we have got a good momentum.
“The international break has probably come at a bit of an annoying time in a way.
“You would never, ever not want to represent your country, because I always say it is the pinnacle when I am away with England, but if I’ve got my club head on, we’re in good form, we’re in good momentum, we are unbeaten in the league in eight.
“We came back after the last international break and hit the ground running again and won late against Sheffield United in brilliant circumstances. Hopefully we can do the same off the back of this one and continue the form.”
Maddison was part of the England squad that reached the quarter-finals of the World Cup in Qatar last winter but, due to a niggling knee injury, failed to make an appearance.
Having made his senior England debut in November 2019, the former Coventry and Norwich man would have to wait until the Euro 2024 qualifier against Ukraine earlier this year to pick up a second cap.
Since then, Maddison has started two out of three qualifying fixtures and will be keen to play a large part in the upcoming Wembley double-header which sees England face Australia in a friendly on Friday before welcoming Italy for a key European Championship qualifier on Tuesday.
“So much can happen in a year,” added Maddison.
“Over the past year I have worked really hard and played some good stuff, I think. Obviously, I have moved to Tottenham. I feel as though I could potentially be in the best form I have ever been in really.
“And now I feel at home here (with England). I would be happy to play anywhere, when you are wearing the Three Lions there is no feeling like it to be honest.
“If that means I am playing slightly out of position, then so be it. I couldn’t care less as long as I am out there.
“I will try to do my best and bring the qualities that I have to any position that I play in, whether that is in the middle or left wing or right wing, wherever.”
Referees’ chief Howard Webb expressed his disappointment that VAR was unable to “rectify a clear error” following Luis Diaz’s disallowed goal for Liverpool against Tottenham.
Miscommunication between video assistant referee Darren England and referee Simon Hooper led to the winger’s goal being wrongly ruled out for offside in a 2-1 Premier League defeat for the Reds on September 30.
Audio of the incident was released in the aftermath and, speaking on an episode of ‘Match Officials Mic’d Up’ on Sky Sports on Tuesday, Professional Game Match Officials Limited technical director Webb admitted the situation was frustrating.
“We took the unusual step of releasing the audio from this situation not long after it happened,” he said.
“We wanted to show everybody what was very quickly pretty apparent to us, a human error and loss of concentration.
“Of course we’re all disappointed the VAR system didn’t step in and rectify a clear error that we’d seen on the field with the disallowing of the goal.
“Nobody’s more disappointed than the officials themselves, they take pride in their work and want to be a positive influence on the game, but of course in this situation it wasn’t the case.”
Referees’ body PGMOL confirmed that new VAR communication guidelines would be applied.
“One of the things we have to do is put things in place so that, should we have human error, it doesn’t have the damage or the impact that we saw on this occasion,” Webb added when asked about the language officials use.
“One of the things that this has brought into sharp focus is the need to reiterate some of those communication protocols that are really valuable in VAR to prevent this kind of thing happening.”
One of the talking points from the latest round of fixtures at the weekend was the decision not to send off Manchester City’s Mateo Kovacic for a challenge on Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard.
The City midfielder was shown a yellow card before avoiding another shortly afterwards and Webb admitted Kovacic was “fortunate” to stay on the pitch.
“I do (think he was),” he said.
“I mean obviously the VAR can’t get involved, second yellows are something that the VAR is not able to get involved in, but I think he was an extremely fortunate player to stay on the field of play.
“The referee – one of our best referees, one of the best referees in the world – Michael Oliver, will no doubt review that.”
Harry Kane says he would love to see Tottenham win the Premier League this season.
The club’s record goalscorer, who left to join Bayern Munich in the summer, is enjoying watching Ange Postecoglou turn things around at Spurs in the early part of the campaign.
They currently top the Premier League and look like they could challenge Manchester City and Arsenal for the title, albeit with only eight games played.
The England captain, who has started life with a bang at his new club, would love to see his former side end their trophy drought.
View this post on Instagram“I have made it clear my whole career I am a Tottenham fan and I would love to see Tottenham do well,” he said.
“Spurs are doing pretty well. It’s great to see. I think I’ve said before, the manager is doing great for them with the way they’re playing.
“The fans are right behind the team and it’s definitely what they needed after the last few years. I’ll always keep an eye on Spurs and the Premier League.
“Of course, there’s still a long way to go, but like the manager said, there’s no reason why the fans shouldn’t be excited and happy with the way things are going. Hopefully they can continue.
“There is no other team in the Premier League I would want to win than Tottenham.
“Also, I have to be respectful to Bayern Munich and of course, the fans know I will always have a soft spot for Spurs – there is no question about that – but I have got to put all my attention on Bayern Munich and to make us as successful as possible.
“So, I know there will be questions, for sure, particularly when Tottenham are doing well.
“Of course, I hope they do as well as possible but my main attention is where I am now and trying to perform for Bayern.”
Kane has already proven his head is firmly in Munich after a scintillating start where he has nine goals and five assists in nine games.
“In terms of the start I’ve been really happy,” he said.
“There’s always a bit of added pressure when you go to a new club, the expectation, you’ve been bought for a lot of money and people just expect you to hit the ground running and start scoring and start winning but it’s not always the case.
“There’s a lot of other stuff that goes into a transfer – like I’ve touched on already, just the personal stuff as well, trying to find houses, living in hotels, not having my family with me.
“It’s all stuff I’m not used to. So to be able to have started the way I have, I’m really proud of.
“Of course I always feel like I probably could have scored a few more goals, I’ve had quite a few chances.
“But in general, if you’d have told me before the transfer this is what I’d be on, the amount of goals and assists and wins, I’d have taken that so definitely happy with that.”
Australia midfielder Massimo Luongo feels everyone in his country is now a Tottenham supporter following the remarkable start Ange Postecoglou has made to life in England.
Spurs lead the Premier League on goal difference from north London rivals Arsenal going into the international break and are unbeaten in the league since the former Socceroos boss took charge.
He is the first Australian to be appointed in England’s top flight and has caused a sensation in his home country by transforming the club’s playing style in just a few months.
Luongo, who after helping Ipswich to second place in the Championship has been recalled to the national team for the first time since 2019 for Friday’s meeting with England at Wembley and next week’s game against New Zealand, was an unused member of Postecoglou’s squad for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.
He has featured in every one of his club’s league fixtures this campaign as Kieran McKenna’s side have won nine of their first 11 games to install themselves as early favourites to land consecutive promotions.
It follows a period in the international wilderness during which he endured difficult spells at Sheffield Wednesday and Middlesbrough, with injuries contributing to a lack of playing time and a “difficult time mentally”.
His last call-up was in October 2019, but he has impressed enough at Portman Road to earn a recall from boss Graham Arnold.
Australia reached the last 16 of the World Cup in Qatar under Arnold – their fifth consecutive finals – before being eliminated by eventual winners Argentina, their best performance at the tournament since 2006.
And Luongo, who was long-listed for the Ballon d’Or in 2015 in part for his showing at the Socceroos’ victorious Asian Cup campaign, said that though there are comparisons to be made, the two coaches should be judged on their own merits.
“They’re completely different, like most managers,” he told the PA news agency. “Ange has his ways, Arnie has his ways. (The 2014 World Cup) was definitely an enjoyable time. (Postecoglou) brought me from Swindon in League One and he gave me my chance.
“What he’s doing now is incredible. Every Aussie is following him now, I think every Aussie is secretly a Tottenham supporter. It’s great to watch from afar.
“Being in this country, I think he’s just a genuine person, you see that in his media interviews. He’s got so much passion for the game, he’s just hungry for success. And that’s what we have here (with Arnold).”
Australia are ranked 27th in the world but were buoyed by their success in Qatar, knocking out Euro 2020 semi-finalists Denmark to progress from their group.
They will be looking to replicate the result the last time they met England in London, running out 3-1 winners at West Ham’s Upton Park as Three Lions manager Sven-Goran Eriksson made 11 half-time substitutions.
“England are one of the best in the world,” said Luongo. “But even at Ipswich we look at teams ahead of us who we want to replicate, (like) Man City, the best team in the world.
“We’re alright, we’re doing well, we’re a good Australia team. People underestimate that.
“No matter who you play I think Aussies have that DNA that you don’t just roll over and give up. That Argentina game (in Qatar), I watched it, if it goes on for another 30 minutes, we get an equaliser, easily an equaliser. It’s just the nature of football. When momentum is with you, you never know.”
He added that there have been significant changes to the national team set-up since his last call-up.
“(There are) a lot of young players,” he said. “The staff, there’s a lot more backing now. The set-up has (improved), there are no corners cut. Things you wouldn’t even think of are covered, more beds and physios, the food; everything. They’re trying to create an atmosphere that’s as top-level as you can get.
“The expectation now is really high. The World Cup is a big evidence that we can beat top teams, especially European teams.
“I think we’re definitely in a transition period of younger players coming through. At the moment you can’t really judge the team based on the first year of four years building up to a World Cup.
“The manager’s got three more years to build a team and see where they get to. These games are a building process. I promise you the team now will look very different to the next World Cup team.”
Johan Lange has been appointed as Tottenham’s new technical director.
Lange has performed a similar role at Premier League rivals Aston Villa since the summer of 2020, but will begin work at Spurs from November 1.
The arrival of ex-Sevilla director of football Monchi at Villa Park in June changed the position of Lange, who will replace Fabio Paratici as Tottenham’s key figure in recruitment.
Spurs’ chief football officer Scott Munn said: “Johan has demonstrated an excellent track record of scouting and signing many talented and successful youth and senior players.
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“He is a welcome addition as we strengthen our football operations.”
Spurs have been searching for Paratici’s replacement since his resignation in April from his role as the club’s managing director of football.
Paratici was hit with a two-and-a-half-year ban from working in Italy in January as part of sanctions dished out after his former club Juventus were found guilty of false accounting, with his suspension extended worldwide by FIFA in March.
After leaving his Tottenham role following a failed appeal, it was confirmed that the Italian could work in football on a consultancy basis, which the PA news agency understands he has continued to do at Spurs in recent months.
The arrival of Lange on November 1 is the latest restructure by the club after Munn officially joined from the City Group last month, while Leonardo Gabbanini, previously chief scout, departed days later.
Lange will be responsible for Spurs’ recruitment and talent identification across both their senior and academy teams.
Tottenham have also shifted towards using analytics and data more during the past 12 months and Lange, who was previously assistant at Wolves, will play a key role in trying to improve the club’s work in that area.
The Dane began his coaching career at Copenhagen in 2008 before moving to England in 2012 to work with then Wolves boss Stale Solbakken.
He returned to Copenhagen in 2014 and took on the role of technical director, with Lange credited with overseeing a successful period at the Superliga outfit.
A move to Villa followed and Lange has been involved in the transfers of Emi Martinez, Matty Cash and Ollie Watkins during the past three years.
It has helped take Villa from relegation candidates to a Europa Conference League side under the management of Unai Emery.
Lange saw his role at the midlands club switch to global director of football development and international academies this summer.
“The club can confirm Johan is leaving his role and departs with the best wishes and gratitude of everyone here for his commitment and service during his time,” a Villa statement read.
Matthew Kitson will become Villa’s new director of global development, working alongside academy boss Mark Harrison and Monchi at Villa Park.
James Maddison has urged Tottenham to keep acting like a “top team” after they headed into the international break still unbeaten in the Premier League.
Spurs have faced Manchester United, Liverpool and Arsenal during their first eight league fixtures under new boss Ange Postecoglou and collected 20 points out of a possible 24.
It represents Tottenham’s best start to a league season since their 1960-61 double-winning campaign, but they were forced to produce a different type of display on Saturday in a hard-fought 1-0 win at Luton, where they played the whole of the second half with 10 men.
“You get the same three points here as you do beating Liverpool and United at home,” Maddison said. “It’s just as important. I absolutely loved the character of the lads.
“You have 38 games in a season and not every game is going pretty, scoring goals, free-flowing, ‘AngeBall’.
“Sometimes you have to dig deep and show the grit and determination. People are always asking top teams, do they have that side to them? The top teams all do and we want to be a top team. I’m so happy we showed that.”
Ex-Celtic boss Postecoglou has only worked with this group of players since July, but they have quickly taken to his front-foot, attacking philosophy.
Spurs have scored 18 goals in the Premier League with summer recruit Maddison involved in seven and topping the assist charts with five so far after he set up Micky van de Ven’s winner on Saturday, but he insists they remain a work in progress.
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He added: “We’re so early into the manager’s reign. We’re at the start. Even in training, sometimes the messages he’s giving us, it’s still new, we’re still working on it. It’s not like we’re three years in.
“When you’ve worked with a manager for a long time, like when I was at Leicester with Brendan (Rodgers), I had been there that long I knew what he wanted from me.
“I’d realise who we were playing at the weekend and have an idea of what my role would be at the weekend before we’d even trained or worked on it. You get that partnership and relationship.
“We’re so early, we’re still at the start of that. It’s not about getting carried away.
“Of course, it’s better to be up that end than the other end. Believe me, I’ve done both! I just want to continue that, continue working and that will leave it us where it leaves us.”
Tottenham went top of the table on Saturday but Maddison played down talk of a title tilt yet.
“We’ve played Arsenal, we’ve played Liverpool, we’ve played United. Coming here, it’s just a different type of challenge but it’s still tough,” the England international said.
“Just because you’re playing Luton, it doesn’t mean there is more time or more space. It’s just a different challenge.
“I probably didn’t expect us to be top of the league, unbeaten, no.
“Realistically you would never even guess that far ahead. You just want to start well and we’re looking to continue that.”
Tottenham defenders Micky van de Ven and Destiny Udogie hailed “leader” Cristian Romero after they combined to extend Ange Postecoglou’s unbeaten start at the club with a 1-0 win at Luton.
Spurs created a plethora of chances early on at Kenilworth Road, but Yves Bissouma received two yellow cards in quick succession in the first half to alter the course of Saturday’s game.
While Van de Ven put Tottenham ahead in the 52nd-minute, Luton made the most of their numerical advantage to pile the pressure on, but vice-captain Romero in particular shone with 12 clearances and five aerial duals won during a colossal display over the 90 minutes.
“Amazing player, unbelievable player,” centre-back Van de Ven said of Romero to SpursPlay.
“Defensively so strong, with the ball so strong, keeps talking, for me an amazing player.
“We had to concentrate for the full 90 minutes. We had to keep pushing, keep commanding and holding a strong line. We help each other and have each others back.
“Everyone keeps talking the whole time and most of the time no one is losing concentration, but everyone is keeping each other awake and you saw we defended really well to keep the clean sheet.”
Left-back Udogie echoed those sentiments, saying: “I think Cuti (Romero) is a real leader.
“You can’t feel more safe (than) with Cuti and he shows this every day in training, in the game and he helps us a lot.
“As you saw it was really tough and with a man less it was more tough but this is the spirit of our squad. We keep working hard for each other and the result come.”
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On his maiden Italy call-up, Udogie added: “It is a big dream for me you know. As a young kid I was always dreaming for this moment.
“Now it has come and I have to just stay focused, enjoy the time, work hard for the team and give my best.”
Spurs have won six of their eight Premier League matches under Postecoglou, which makes this the club’s best start to a top-flight season since the 1960-61 double-winning campaign.
The goals have flowed, but the Australian has added a steel to a previously frail defensive unit and this shut-out was Tottenham’s third with new first-choice goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario.
Postecoglou said: “They’ve been great all year, both the centre-backs, the whole back four and Vic.
“I think a big part of that is Romero because when you look at it, it’s Destiny’s first year in the Premier League, Micky’s first year, Vic’s first year and (Pedro) Porro is just beginning his Premier League career, but they’ve got a World Cup winner beside them.
“I think Cuti makes them feel like they belong. They feel really comfortable having him beside them and you can see them flourish.
“He is someone you definitely want in your team. Yes he does have that physicality about him, but he’s a good player as well.
“His passing range, ability to really position himself well, to stay calm and then just ridiculous bravery to always put his body in there. He’s just an outstanding defender.”
Lionel Messi recently labelled Argentina team-mate Romero as the best defender in the world.
“He’s a good judge,” Postecoglou smiled.
Meanwhile, newly-promoted Luton were left to rue missed chances after suffering a sixth defeat, but could soon call upon the services of free agent Andros Townsend after he played for their under-21s on Friday.
“We will see,” Hatters boss Rob Edwards said. “It has to be right for him. We will have a look and see how it goes.
“He played on Friday night the full game.”
Ange Postecoglou hailed 10-man Tottenham after their 1-0 win at Luton but insisted they have achieved nothing by going top of the Premier League in October.
Spurs produced a gritty display to claim all three points at Kenilworth Road after Micky van de Ven scored his first goal for the club in the 52nd minute following James Maddison’s cut-back.
Tottenham’s task was made a whole lot harder when Yves Bissouma was sent off for two bookable offences towards the end of the first half, the second yellow card for simulation, but Postecoglou’s team held firm in the face of late Luton pressure.
“Two different halves, I thought we played some great football in the first half. I thought it was as good as we’ve played and we probably should have been two or three up,” Postecoglou said.
“Obviously the red card changes the game but again I thought the lads handled it really well. They stayed calm and composed.
“In the end just the sheer will and effort of them to make sure we won, not just the starters but the guys coming on, it was a great collective effort.
“Biss made a mistake. He has been brilliant for us this year. He made a mistake and the good thing is how he reacts to these things.
“His team-mates made sure that mistake didn’t cost us and I’m sure when Biss gets back in the team he will reciprocate and make sure that whatever else happens he can get us over the line.
“With all these things I always look at reactions. What are we doing about it? I thought the reaction was outstanding.”
Victory helped Spurs take over from Manchester City at the Premier League summit with the champions in action on Sunday away to last season’s runners-up Arsenal.
A draw at the Emirates Stadium would keep Tottenham top for the international break, but Postecoglou played down their league position – despite this being their best start to a top-flight season since the club’s 1960-61 double-winning campaign.
He added: “I don’t think you read too much. They’re not silly, they know it’s only October and being top of the league now doesn’t really mean anything tangible apart from the fact that we’ve started the season well.
“It’s not like they’re sitting in there thinking we’ve achieved anything. We haven’t achieved anything. All we’ve done is lay some really good foundations.
“Our goals and ambitions lay in improvement. Can we play better? Can we become a better team? And if we do that then we’ll see where that takes us.”
Luton boss Rob Edwards was frustrated that another strong display failed to produce any points.
Spurs started impressively and could have been 3-0 up inside 10 minutes but Richarlison sliced over from close range before Thomas Kaminski saved another effort by the Brazilian and Pedro Porro rolled wide when one-on-one.
Tottenham remained on top until Bissouma’s red card when he went down under close proximity to Marvelous Nakamba, but there had been no contact and referee John Brooks showed the visiting midfielder a second yellow card.
The clash played in front of a partisan Kenilworth Road crowd hinged on a crucial five minutes after half-time when Elijah Adebayo could not convert Chiedozie Ogbene’s dangerous cross from the right in the 47th minute.
Soon after Van de Ven tapped home when Maddison spun away from Alfie Doughty and picked out the Dutch defender in the six-yard box.
“We had a huge opportunity, a massive chance we didn’t take and we’ve been punished for it because we switched off for the short corner. Those two moments are big in the game,” Edwards reflected.
“They are top of the Premier League, they will have chances and we are new to it. I was really pleased with a lot of what I saw, but I am really disappointed and flat as well.”
Micky van de Ven’s first goal in English football fired 10-man Tottenham to the Premier League summit with a 1-0 win at Luton.
Spurs entered this fixture following a controversial 2-1 victory over Liverpool last weekend, where Jurgen Klopp’s side were denied a legitimate goal due to a “significant human error” by VAR operator Darren England.
It meant three points for Ange Postecoglou’s team at Kenilworth Road would send them to the summit for at least 24 hours, but they had to work hard for it after Yves Bissouma was sent off in first-half stoppage-time.
Bissouma was booked twice in quick succession by referee John Brooks, the second for simulation, but Van de Ven’s close-range finish in the 52nd minute earned Tottenham a hard-fought win.
This was the first meeting between the clubs since 1992 and the hostile atmosphere was a throwback to that era with even TNT pundits Rio Ferdinand and Peter Crouch booed ahead of kick-off.
Spurs had put seven goals past the other newly-promoted teams this season and should have added to that tally inside 10 minutes.
Richarlison was guilty of fluffing his lines twice, firing off target via his shin with the goal at his mercy from Dejan Kulusevski’s third-minute cross before Thomas Kaminski denied the Brazilian with his feet after James Maddison’s slick through ball 60 seconds later.
Pedro Porro was next to squander an excellent opportunity when Son Heung-min played him through and he fired wide. The Tottenham captain also curled into the stand before Luton started to settle.
Huge cheers greeted the Hatters’ first corner in the 25th minute, although top goalscorer Carlton Morris could only send his header off target following Alfie Doughty’s delivery.
The visitors remained a threat and a driving run by Pape Sarr set up Kulusevski, but Kaminski produced an excellent fingertip save to parry the 18-yard curler wide.
Luton had the ball in the net after 39 minutes but it was immediately ruled out and a VAR check showed Elijah Adebayo had shoved Cristian Romero.
Doughty’s free-kick dropped for Adebayo, who after pushing Romero flicked over Guglielmo Vicario and onto the post where Lockyer headed in, only for it to be disallowed.
The free-kick came from a Bissouma foul on Chiedozie Ogbene and referee Brooks booked the Tottenham midfielder for a professional foul.
A second yellow card followed in first-half stoppage time for simulation when Bissouma went down under close proximity from Marvelous Nakamba, but there was no contact and Brooks correctly sent off the visiting player.
Luton should have taken the lead two minutes after half-time when Ogbene held off Destiny Udogie and crossed in for Adebayo, but he could not steer his effort on target.
The hosts were hit with a sucker-punch in the 52nd minute when Van de Ven opened his account for Tottenham.
After a number of corners in quick succession, it proved third time lucky for Postecoglou’s side when Maddison collected Kulusevski’s short corner and brilliantly spun away from Doughty before he cut back for Van de Ven to slot home from six yards.
It briefly silenced the partisan Kenilworth Road crowd but they were soon roaring their team on and Doughty dragged wide soon after the opener.
Morris tested Vicario minutes later and, although Porro sent an effort just past the post for Tottenham in the 62nd minute, Luton started to build momentum.
Jacob Brown headed over before substitute Cauley Woodrow had a weak shot saved.
A deflected effort wide by Doughty was the final warning sign for Postecoglou, who introduced Emerson Royal and Oliver Skipp for Son and Maddison with 14 minutes left but Spurs held on to go top.
Micky van de Ven’s first goal in English football fired 10-man Tottenham to the Premier League summit with a 1-0 win at Luton.
Spurs entered this fixture following a controversial 2-1 victory over Liverpool last weekend, where Jurgen Klopp’s side were denied a legitimate goal due to a “significant human error” by VAR operator Darren England.
It meant three points for Ange Postecoglou’s team at Kenilworth Road would send them to the summit for at least 24 hours, but they had to work hard for it after Yves Bissouma was sent off in first-half stoppage-time.
Bissouma was booked twice in quick succession by referee John Brooks, the second for simulation, but Van de Ven’s close-range finish in the 52nd minute earned Tottenham a hard-fought win.
This was the first meeting between the clubs since 1992 and the hostile atmosphere was a throwback to that era with even TNT pundits Rio Ferdinand and Peter Crouch booed ahead of kick-off.
Spurs had put seven goals past the other newly-promoted teams this season and should have added to that tally inside 10 minutes.
Richarlison was guilty of fluffing his lines twice, firing off target via his shin with the goal at his mercy from Dejan Kulusevski’s third-minute cross before Thomas Kaminski denied the Brazilian with his feet after James Maddison’s slick through ball 60 seconds later.
Pedro Porro was next to squander an excellent opportunity when Son Heung-min played him through and he fired wide. The Tottenham captain also curled into the stand before Luton started to settle.
Huge cheers greeted the Hatters’ first corner in the 25th minute, although top goalscorer Carlton Morris could only send his header off target following Alfie Doughty’s delivery.
The visitors remained a threat and a driving run by Pape Sarr set up Kulusevski, but Kaminski produced an excellent fingertip save to parry the 18-yard curler wide.
Luton had the ball in the net after 39 minutes but it was immediately ruled out and a VAR check showed Elijah Adebayo had shoved Cristian Romero.
Doughty’s free-kick dropped for Adebayo, who after pushing Romero flicked over Guglielmo Vicario and onto the post where Lockyer headed in, only for it to be disallowed.
The free-kick came from a Bissouma foul on Chiedozie Ogbene and referee Brooks booked the Tottenham midfielder for a professional foul.
A second yellow card followed in first-half stoppage time for simulation when Bissouma went down under close proximity from Marvelous Nakamba, but there was no contact and Brooks correctly sent off the visiting player.
Luton should have taken the lead two minutes after half-time when Ogbene held off Destiny Udogie and crossed in for Adebayo, but he could not steer his effort on target.
The hosts were hit with a sucker-punch in the 52nd minute when Van de Ven opened his account for Tottenham.
After a number of corners in quick succession, it proved third time lucky for Postecoglou’s side when Maddison collected Kulusevski’s short corner and brilliantly spun away from Doughty before he cut back for Van de Ven to slot home from six yards.
It briefly silenced the partisan Kenilworth Road crowd but they were soon roaring their team on and Doughty dragged wide soon after the opener.
Morris tested Vicario minutes later and, although Porro sent an effort just past the post for Tottenham in the 62nd minute, Luton started to build momentum.
Jacob Brown headed over before substitute Cauley Woodrow had a weak shot saved.
A deflected effort wide by Doughty was the final warning sign for Postecoglou, who introduced Emerson Royal and Oliver Skipp for Son and Maddison with 14 minutes left but Spurs held on to go top.
Tottenham head coach Ange Postecoglou has questioned whether VAR is having a positive impact on football and admitted he would get rid of the technology in its current form.
The fallout of Spurs’ controversial 2-1 win over Liverpool last weekend continues after Jurgen Klopp suggested on Wednesday a replay would be the right outcome before he insisted a day later the matter was over for the club.
It comes after the Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) admitted a “significant human error” occurred when the 34th-minute strike by Luis Diaz was incorrectly ruled out for offside after miscommunication by VAR operator Darren England, who was under the impression the on-field decision had been to award the goal, to referee Simon Hooper.
Postecoglou was quizzed on whether he would get rid of VAR, he said: “I would in its current form. I just don’t think that technology’s ready for our game.
“I’ve got absolutely zero against goal-line technology, that’s a no-brainer because that’s quite significant, but it works for our game.
“I just think our game is unique and I know people say well let’s get referees explaining their decisions. Oh my God. Seriously? Could you imagine sitting there listening to a referee explain every decision on the game.
“I’m going to the Gridiron on Sunday, I love it, I love American football. It’s three-and-a-half hours mate. Do you want to sit through three-and-a-half hours of listening?
“I just think with VAR at the moment, we think it’s going to eliminate (errors) and the more we use it, I think the worse it’s going to get.
“It was there for the clear and obvious error. It seems like everything now. Yellow cards, fouls, corners, everything’s getting scrutinised. It’s not our game.
“We’re not rugby, we don’t have those stoppages. What I always loved about England was the frenetic pace of football.
“Why are we trying to take that out? Now, I think part of the consequence of last week was that none of us liked it when they were taking so long to make a decision and it sounded like last week they were rushing into a decision.
“That suggests to me that I don’t think the technology in its current form is suitable to our game, but I know I will be in a minority with that and my role within that is to accept that whatever my feelings are on it, ultimately, there’s still going to be an arbitrator of decisions.”
Postecoglou has consistently insisted he is not a fan of VAR and expressed fears for what football may look like in years to come if technology interferes more and more.
“This is probably the only time I’m happy I’m 58 and not 38. I don’t know what the game is going to look like in 20 years’ time and I’m not sure I would like it with the way it’s going,” he added.
“I’ve always loved the fact that our game has more flaws in it. The uniqueness of our game is the goal is so hard to get. We always focus around that.
“Usually goals came from either a combination of brilliance or some flaws by someone.
“We’re trying to sanitise all that by trying to make it into something that I just don’t think is our game. That’s not what I’ve loved about football. I’ve loved the imperfect nature of it.
“When you’re sitting there analysing every little decision – and it seems we’re going that way where people just want every decision to be right – then that will slow down the game invariably, there will be more interruptions and they’ll take away from what I love about the game.
Meanwhile, Postecoglou played down Klopp’s claims earlier this week about replaying the fixture.
He said: “I think Jurgen’s said that and maybe that was taken a little bit out of context.
“My view is when you’re talking about a replay, there’s got to be some sort of threshold and I don’t think a mistake is a threshold for that.
“It was a unique mistake, people have used an unprecedented mistake and I agree with that, but it was still a mistake.
“So, if your threshold for replays is mistakes by individuals, that’s 365 games a year, I reckon.”
Wales manager Rob Page has promised not to jeopardise the health of Brennan Johnson by telling him to turn up for international duty when carrying an injury.
Johnson will miss Wales’ crunch Euro 2024 qualifier against Croatia in Cardiff on October 15 after sustaining a hamstring injury on his first start for Tottenham against Arsenal in the north London derby.
Spurs boss Ange Postecoglou confirmed on Friday that Johnson will miss Tottenham’s Premier League trip to Luton this weekend but will be fit to return after the international break.
Page said: “The communication between us and Tottenham has been first-class. It’s about having mutual respect. Both managers want a talented player fit so it’s about working together.
“I’m not going to insist that he has to come away and we’re going to play him, jeopardise his safety and health. I wouldn’t do that. But they also understand the importance of our games.”
Page criticised Johnson’s former club Nottingham Forest after he missed Wales’ Euro 2024 qualifier away to Croatia in March.
Page said at the time that he should have been “stronger” to ensure Johnson arrived on camp for Wales to make their own medical assessment of the 22-year-old forward.
Johnson has since joined Tottenham for £47.5million – the second highest transfer fee paid for a Welsh player after Gareth Bale – and is considered to be a hugely influential figure as Wales move forward in the post-Bale era.
On communicating with Tottenham over Johnson’s fitness situation, Page added: “We’ve had great conversations with them, but ultimately his injury will dictate whether he can meet up or not.”
Wales realistically need to avoid defeat against World Cup semi-finalists Croatia and win both games of their November double-header to secure automatic qualification for next summer’s Euro 2024 in Germany.
Captain Aaron Ramsey was not named in the squad for the Croatia game after damaging a knee tendon and has also been ruled out of November’s games against Armenia and Turkey by his Cardiff manager Erol Bulut.
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