Football: Jose Mourinho queries sloppy Spurs' fortitude

Collapse against West Ham nothing to do with giving Bale a sub role, insists manager

Manuel Lanzini leading the wild celebration after his long-range effort capped a late three-goal spurt in the 3-3 Premier League draw with Tottenham on Sunday. PHOTO: EPA-EFE
Manuel Lanzini leading the wild celebration after his long-range effort capped a late three-goal spurt in the 3-3 Premier League draw with Tottenham on Sunday. PHOTO: EPA-EFE

LONDON • Jose Mourinho questioned Tottenham's mental strength after a stunning late collapse saw West Ham fight back from 3-0 down in the final eight minutes to draw 3-3 on Sunday.

No side in Premier League history had ever come from 3-0 down after the 81st minute, and with the way Spurs were dominating at home, no one saw the capitulation coming.

However, after Mourinho substituted Tanguy Ndombele in the 73rd minute and then Son Heung-min seven minutes later with the points seemingly in the bag, the hosts lost their shape and the Hammers took advantage.

Manuel Lanzini's sensational 94th-minute long-range strike into the top corner capped the comeback after Fabian Balbuena and Davinson Sanchez's own goal resurrected David Moyes' men, leaving the Spurs manager and Son to lament their team's fragility.

"This was a game we had in the pocket and we lost two points," said Mourinho. "After the first goal their belief went up. My guys were not strong enough to cope with it psychologically in the last few seconds."

Spurs had raced to a 3-0 lead within 16 minutes as the free-scoring combination of Harry Kane (double) and Son (one) threatened to turn the game into a pasting.

Kane also hit the post late on and Gareth Bale would have been the headline maker had he beaten Lukasz Fabianski in an one-on-one situation after coming on as a second-half substitute to mark his second homecoming with the north London club.

However, the misses did not appear costly until the eight minutes of madness, much to Son's chagrin.

"We should remember this feeling forever so it never happens again," said the South Korea forward.

"It is just so sad that we lost a big two points, when we as a collective played so well and as a team dominated and controlled the game, to draw the game feels like we lost."

The dropped points led to plenty of criticism of Mourinho's decision not to start Bale, but the Portuguese claimed everything was rosy until the inexplicable happened.

  • 81

    West Ham are the first EPL side to avoid defeat when trailing by three after 81 minutes.

"Don't think so, honestly don't think so. The decision not to start him was, I think, a good decision," he said. "A decision to show that he doesn't have a beautiful chair waiting for him in the team and he sits there the first time he can.

"So everything is positive and the focus was not on him. The focus was on the game and he was on the bench for 65 minutes or so and I don't think so, I don't think at all.

"It's a pity that he couldn't score that fourth goal which was a beauty and would have killed the game. That's football."

Hammers boss Moyes, on the other hand, was left delighted with the turnaround.

This was his first game in the dugout after missing the last four in all competitions due to a positive Covid-19 test. And up until the end, the Scot had been wishing he was still working from home.

The visitors had trounced both Wolves and Leicester in succession while he was self-isolating but still calling the shots, so he admitted it was "a really proud moment" that his team continued to be spoilers against the odds.

He added: "They never gave in, they kept going, it's a big result."

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on October 20, 2020, with the headline Football: Jose Mourinho queries sloppy Spurs' fortitude. Subscribe