Jose Mourinho says ‘modern penalty’ contributed to Tottenham Hotspur losing against Manchester City
Speaking after the loss against Manchester City (h/t Daily Mail), Tottenham Hotspur manager Jose Mourinho blamed a ‘modern penalty’ for giving Pep Guardiola’s side the advantage in their league encounter.
Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg brought down Ilkay Gundogan around the 20th-minute mark to concede a spot-kick. Referee Paul Tierney blew his whistle instantly, but the incident was checked by VAR.
The tackle looked like a foul on first viewing but VAR suggested that the penalty was not as certain as it seemed initially. Mourinho labelled it as a ‘modern penalty’ and said that it was subjective depending on the team which has got it.
“A penalty that even if you touch with the nail inside the box, can be a penalty. Of course, it depends on the opponent, the team.”
Mourinho takes shot at VAR
He then elaborated on the concept and bemoaned how a slight touch can be decisive in awarding the penalty.
“You go to VAR and VAR cannot deny there’s a touch, sometimes a toe, sometimes a nail, sometimes a nose. You cannot deny there’s contact. That’s what I call a modern penalty.”
Rodri took the spot-kick and scored past Hugo Lloris, who could not save it despite guessing the right way. Mourinho also stated that fatigue before the game caused Tottenham to not perform at their best.
Nevertheless, he acknowledged that the Harry Kane free-kick which hit the post would have energised his side. That was not to be, as City scored 3 without reply to seal a win.
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Spurs have won just one game on the road in their last 7 games and have lost 5 of their 6 games in all competitions.
