Tottenham fans’ fury is justified, James Maddison admitted after their 1-0 loss at Chelsea.
Spurs fell to a 16th defeat in 30 Premier League games – their most in any entire campaign since 2003-04 – and were second-best in the London derby at Stamford Bridge.
Enzo Fernandez’s header was enough to secure the three points for Chelsea, with Moises Caicedo and Pape Matar Sarr both having goals ruled out after VAR checks.
They had booed Postecoglou’s decision to bring on Sarr and Brennan Johnson (for Lucas Bergvall and Wilson Odobert), and the Spurs boss appeared to cup his ears at them when he thought the former had scored, though he later insisted he just wanted them to cheer.
‘It hurts a lot. It’s been one too many times this season. Our fans are rightly disappointed. We’re disappointed,’ Maddison told Sky Sports.
James Maddison said Tottenham fans had a right to be angry after their 1-0 loss at Chelsea
Ange Postecoglou did not acknowledge the supporters, who had booed him during the game
‘We’re just trying hard to search for the answers of why, in the league, we’re not getting the results in the tight games. We’ve lost so many games this year by one-goal margins.
‘So, I don’t really want to be out here talking out of nowhere. Our fans don’t even want to hear what we’ve got to say, do they? So, it’s about just trying to be better going forward.
‘To be fair, they’re rightly angry. I think it’s still important that we go over and show our appreciation for them, even though we’re not getting a nice reception, let’s put it that way.
‘So that’s why I still walk over there. I think they deserve that, even though it’s not easy to go over and get pelted right in your face.
‘But, like I said, they pay their money, they travel all over for us. And we’re just as disappointed as they are, but we’re trying to put it right.
‘It can still be a super special season if we lift silverware. We’re in the quarter-final. We’re two fixtures away from a European final. So it can still be a very special season.
‘The message would be, just stick with us. We need them as much as they need us, you know. And again, they probably don’t want to be listening to me right now after another defeat in the league. That’s fine, but I have to come out, I have to answer your questions. So, just try and stick together, I guess.’
The feeling between supporters and the team became tense when fans began chanting ‘you don’t know what you’re doing’ at Postecoglou due to some of his subsitutions.
Spurs had a goal disallowed during the second half for a foul by sub Pape Matar Sarr (right)
Cameras caught the moment Postecoglou appeared to cup his ear towards the away fans
Postecoglou looked incredulous when he was asked about the gesture in his interview
When sub Sarr finished from outside the box minutes later, then, Postecoglou took the chance to cup his ears at the travelling fans.
Unfortunately for Spurs, that goal was ruled out after lenghty VAR consideration due to Sarr’s foul on Moises Caicedo.
But Postecoglou’s gesture remained a talking point after the game.
‘When they scored, it looked like he cupped his hands to the Spurs fans as if to say, listen, I know better,’ Jamie Redknapp told Sky Sports in the aftermath.
‘Normally he’d be over there clapping them. There’s a disconnect between the two at the moment. It’s not ideal. He’s got to keep his head up, keep working hard, believing what he’s trying to do. It was a tough night for them.’
But Postecoglou insisted he had not meant to taunt the fans, and instead just wanted to encourage them.
‘Jeez, mate. It’s incredible how things get interpreted. We’d just scored. I just wanted to hear them cheer,’ he said in his press conference.
‘Because we’ve been through a tough time, and I thought it was a cracking goal. I just wanted them to get really excited. I felt at that point we could potentially go on and win the game. I just felt momentum was on our way.
‘It doesn’t bother me. It’s not the first time they’ve booed my substitutions or my decisions. That’s fine. They’re allowed to do that. But we just scored a goal. We just scored an equaliser. I was just hoping that we could get some excitement.
‘People want to read into that — that somehow I’m trying to make a point about something. I said I felt we’ve been through a tough time. But I just felt there was a bit of a momentum shift there. If they can get really behind the lads, I thought we had the momentum to finish on top of them.’
