The Tottenham Hotspur players might have been surprised by what happened at the start of their clash against Brighton as the Seagulls went back on their word and decided against giving the Lilywhites a guard of honour on Sunday.
There was a celebratory mood at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday, and even the 4-1 defeat did not ruin the spirits of the home crowd, who started signing in unison during injury time.
The Europa League trophy was paraded to the long-suffering Spurs fans as the team did their traditional end-of-season lap-of-honour around the ground along with their families.
However, there was a promise that Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler made before the game, which was not followed through on by the South Coast side.
Brighton’s curious decision defied their manager’s promise
On Saturday, Hurzeler had said that Brighton will be giving Tottenham a guard of honour for their achievements in Europe.
However, ahead of kick-off, the two sets of teams just walked out of the tunnel in unison and lined up as usual before kick-off, with the Seagulls seemingly backtracking on their plans.
Their decision was particularly curious, given that the league champions, Liverpool, gave a guard of honour to Crystal Palace following their FA Cup victory.
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Tottenham squad get a guard of honour from former greats
The Spurs players and the coaching staff did receive a guard of honour after the game as they were honoured by the Tottenham heroes of yesteryear.
Some of the biggest names in the club’s history, including Ossie Ardiles, Pat Jennings and Martin Chivers, were present to congratulate Postecoglou and his players on their European success.
Many of the legends were part of the last Tottenham side that last lifted the Europa League (formerly the UEFA Cup) back in 1984.