The Mirror

Ruben Amorim is set for his first Premier League meeting with Tottenham, but the Portuguese could easily have found himself in the opposite dugout.

Manchester United boss Amorim came up short against Spurs in the Carabao Cup quarter-finals, and has found things tough in his three months at Old Trafford. Ange Postecoglou's side are chasing a third win this season against the Old Trafford club, having sealed a 3-0 win over an Erik ten Hag-managed United in the autumn, and victory would ease the pressure on the Londoners' under-fire boss.

Ten Hag was sacked by United a few weeks later, with Amorim taking over in November. The former Sporting boss turned down a move to West Ham earlier in the year, describing talks with the club as a mistake, but was prepared to trade Lisbon for Manchester midway through the season.

Before those talks, however, Tottenham explored a move for Amorim. They ended up with Postecoglou instead, though, and it was reported at the time that Daniel Levy was part of the reason why.

In March 2023, Spurs had just sacked manager Antonio Conte after a very vocal outburst against the club Cristian Stellini was the initial interim replacement, but A Bola (via Sport Witness) suggested Amorim was being eyed as a potential longer-term successor.

At the time, Sporting were playing catch-up in the race for Champions League football. They would ultimately end the campaign with 36 points from their final 14 games, but it was only enough for fourth place.

Amorim's Sporting impressed against Spurs in the Champions League, and knocked Arsenal out of Europe after dropping down to the Europa League. The Portuguese was on Spurs' shortlist as a result, but A Bola indicated at the time that there were a few obstacles to a move.

Would Ruben Amorim have been a good fit for Tottenham? Have your say in the comments section

One of these, the paper claimed, was chairman Levy's "tempestuous temper". Conte was the third manager dismissed by Levy in the four years since long-serving boss Mauricio Pochettino left North London, with Jose Mourinho and Nuno Espirito Santo both coming and going in short order.

A Bola also cited Amorim's reluctance to leave mid-season, along with his desire to win a second league title before leaving Sporting. Perhaps it was because of that 2023-24 title that he was more open to a mid-season move to Old Trafford a few months later.

Spurs sat fourth when Conte made way, but ended the season in eighth after a nightmare spell under Stellini forced them to replace the interim with another interim. They rebounded with a fifth place finish last term but have struggled to deal with an injury crisis this time around.

United finished eighth last year, but they and Spurs are now both firmly ensconced in the bottom half of the table. Both will remain there come 6.30 on Sunday evening, but it remains a chance for both managers to make the argument that they - and their respective clubs - got the right man.

Forget injuries, Ange Postecoglou's questionable tactics or his flimsy defence - Tottenham's monotonous midfield is also at the root of their never-ending struggles.

Spurs' alarming lack of mettle and grit stems from their malfunctioning engine room, which requires a drastic reboot and overhaul in the summer transfer window. It's somewhat telling that crisis-hit Postecoglou has utilised 12 different midfield combinations and partnerships this season in the Premier League - yet is still seemingly no closer to identifying his best trio.

Yves Bissouma, who was suspended by the club for the campaign curtain-raiser at Leicester due to his unprofessionalism off the field, looks a shadow of the ball-winning phenomenon Spurs snapped up from Brighton in a bargain £30million deal almost three years ago.

With the 28-year-old Mali international now rapidly approaching the final 12 months of his contract, his future in north London looks bleak.

Rodrigo Bentancur was an instant hit under Antonio Conte following his arrival from Juventus in January 2022, however, the experienced 67-cap Uruguayan has only completed 90 minutes on just four occasions in the top-flight this term.

When Bentancur completed his rehabilitation following ACL surgery, the expectation within Spurs in late 2023 was that they would not see the best of the player until this season.

While there has been a degree of patience, he has hardly set the world alight this term and his contract is also due to expire in the summer of 2026. It's not currently known whether Tottenham have a one-year extension option but a decision on his future is surely pending at the end of the campaign.

Pape Matar Sarr's energy and enthusiasm continues to shine through but the 22-year-old is still learning his trade and despite a series of eye-catching displays, he still lacks consistency.

James Maddison is perhaps the most frustrating case of them all given he arrived at Spurs with a very credible reputation as one of the division's finest playmakers.

The 28-year-old creator hit the ground running at Tottenham following his £40m switch from Leicester, even briefly propelling Postecoglou's side five points clear at the top of the table in October 2023 when he was pulling the strings, but his influence and importance has since diminished.

While Maddison has already doubled his league goal tally (eight) from last season (four) and statistically his numbers have improved, he has only played three full matches from 31 appearances in all competitions.

Talismanic, ever-present maestro Dejan Kulusevski, for instance, has played 983 more minutes - highlighting that Maddison, who has battled various niggles, is some distance away from being in top physical condition.

Given the stiff competition for places at international level, Maddison now has a real fight on his hands to rescue his waning England career. Kulusevski has set a very high bar at Spurs where availability is concerned in recent months as the Swede continues to drive the standards both on and off the pitch.

Lucas Bergvall is evidently a hugely promising talent but his debut Tottenham season has so far been a baptism of fire. Additionally, the jump from Sweden's Allsvenskan to the Premier League should not be underestimated.

There is also an argument that Archie Gray would breathe new life into Spurs' midfield ranks but the severity of their defensive crisis means that is unlikely to happen anytime soon. Gray, Bergvall and Sarr, are three young players that are rated very highly internally at the club and there's optimism they will be part of the first-team for many years to come, even if the winds of change sweep through north London.

Tottenham's defensive frailty should ultimately come as no surprise when you consider the heart of their team is starved of any notable steel - major surgery feels both inevitable and essential. The lack of fight or desire to put in a firm tackle during the 4-0 Carabao Cup semi-final defeat at Liverpool was particularly damning and insulting to supporters.

The likes of Bissouma, Bentancur and Maddison should take it upon themselves to realise they're fighting for their long-term futures, all the while they're not performing at the peak of their powers. In the PSR era, every player has a price and sales often go hand in hand with big-money signings.

If Postecoglou and underperforming captain Heung-min Son are being held accountable, Tottenham's other underwhelming stars must be, too.

Ange Postecoglou doesn’t do easy jobs, as this season's tumultuous campaign with Tottenham is proving.

Every managerial stint of his career has been a rebuild, a fight against expectations, a battle to prove he belongs. At South Melbourne, he won against doubters who thought an up and coming coach couldn’t deliver titles. With the Australian national team, he rebuilt the Socceroos in his image, only to walk away before the World Cup.

In Japan, he arrived as an unknown and left as a champion. At Celtic, he turned a broken team into a relentless winning machine. And now, at Tottenham, he finds himself in the biggest challenge of his career — leading a club that has long struggled to secure major trophies.

This Sunday, he faces another test as Tottenham host Manchester United. His commitment to attacking football has won him admirers, but as the season progresses and injuries expose the frailties in his system, the real scrutiny begins.

Ange Postecoglou’s net worth

Postecoglou’s career has been a slow burn—no shortcuts, no big-money moves until he earned them. His first coaching jobs in Australia barely covered the bills, and when he was sacked as the national youth coach, he had to move in with his mother-in-law to make ends meet.

Now, he’s among the highest-paid managers in England. His reported salary at Tottenham sits at £5m per year, a significant step up from his Celtic days.

Unlike some of his colleagues, Postecoglou doesn’t do designer suits or luxury watches on the touchline. The Spurs manager’s net worth is estimated to be around £9m.

Postecoglou's family life

Postecoglou doesn’t do charm. He’s blunt, focused, and rarely one for small talk — something his wife, Georgia, knows better than anyone. When they met in the 1990s at South Melbourne, where she was the club’s marketing manager and he the coach, she wasn’t impressed.

“He’s not charismatic, he’s not a charmer,” Georgia once admitted in the ABC documentary The Australian Story: The Age of Ange . “I didn’t get why people respected him so much.”

But it didn’t take long for her to see why. “It was only afterwards I got to understand him as a person," she added.

They’ve been together through every high and low — through sackings, moves across continents and moments when it all felt like it might fall apart. Postecoglou has never hidden the fact that, without her, he might not have made it through the toughest years.

The couple is blessed with three sons — James, Alexi, and Max — who have grown up watching their father build and rebuild his career. The demands of football have often meant time apart, and Georgia once recalled how he almost missed the birth of their youngest son because of work, according to The Sun . “Max came early,” she said. “Ange was supposed to fly to London, and I told him, ‘You’re not leaving me.’”

The next day, Max was born. The day after, Ange was on a plane. That’s how things work in the Postecoglou household.

Postecoglou's childhood

Postecoglou’s story doesn’t start in a dugout or on a training pitch. It began in Athens in 1965, under the shadow of a military junta. His parents, Dimitris and Voula, packed up their lives and boarded a ship to Australia, driven by little more than hope. Postecoglou was five years old when they arrived in Melbourne, a city that would shape him as much as football would.

Life wasn’t easy. His father worked long hours, rarely home, his mother struggled with a new language and culture. Football became the one place where young Ange felt at home. South Melbourne Hellas—a club built by Greek immigrants—was his introduction to the game, the place where he first kicked a ball and later, as a manager, won two national titles.

Even now, decades later, he fights to forget the sacrifices of his parents. “I don’t feel like I’m working every day,” he once said in an interview with The Times . “I feel like I’m living a dream that was founded by other people’s sacrifice, particularly my parents.”

Moments of friction and fallout

While Postecoglou has received much praise and admiration over his career, it hasn’t always been rosy for the Spurs manager. He’s always been a disruptor, a manager who refuses to compromise his ideals, even when it might be the easier option.

In Australia, his resignation as Socceroos manager just months before the 2018 World Cup was seen as abandonment by some, self-preservation by others. He had taken the team to the tournament, rebuilt them in his image, but walked away before the reward.

“I walked away from a World Cup,” he later said during a press conference. “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.”

At Celtic, his appointment was met with derision — an unknown Australian with no European pedigree. But he turned it around, winning five out of six domestic trophies and transforming the team’s identity. He left Glasgow a hero, but not before clashes with the board over transfer policies and club direction.

Now, in England, the scrutiny is at an all-time high. His attacking philosophy won him early admirers, but as injuries piled up and defensive frailties were exposed, some Spurs fans have begun to question his stubbornness. The Premier League is unforgiving, and Postecoglou’s refusal to shift from his high-risk style has become a key talking point.

Dictator Kim Jong-un has given Tottenham Hotspur their marching orders.

The 26 million citizens of North Korea sit down to watch football matches from the English top flight before the 5pm news. But the regime does not show any clashes involving teams with players from old rivals South Korea.

That means struggling Spurs and the team's skipper Son Heung-min are never seen on North Korea’s version of Match of the Day. Coverage last year also left out Hwang Hee-chan of Wolverhampton Wanderers, and Kim Ji-soo, who is in Brentford’s ranks.

Matches are shown on state-run KCTV four months after they are played, so that last August’s games were seen in January. The findings came in a report by the Washington-based Stimson Center’s 38 North project.

It said North Korean television schedules are rife with propaganda, but sports is "one of the few moments each day when state TV is not trying to send an overt or underlying message to its viewers".

Senior fellow Martyn Williams added: "There wasn’t really any intention to the research except that we thought it was interesting. We just saw a lot of football on KCTV. It’s the main international sport they broadcast."

The report said that in 2023, KCTV showed action from the Premier League, World Cup and Champions League. Matches are shortened from 90 minutes to 60 minutes and are almost certainly a breach of copyright, according to the report.

North Korea does not have an agreement to show any Premier League TV highlights.

Tottenham captain Son Heung-min admitted to King Charles that the team are in a "difficult moment" but that he still expects to beat Manchester United this weekend.

The King, 76, visited the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Wednesday in an event to celebrate Tottenham's socio-economic impact in the local area, as he met chairman Daniel Levy, men's captain Son and women's captain Bethany England.

He was seen shaking hands with Son and struck up a conversation with the South Korean about Tottenham's season, which has been a turbulent one.

Ange Postecoglou's men are currently 14th in the Premier League after an injury hit campaign and went out of two cup competitions in the last week.

King Charles asked Son who Tottenham were playing this weekend, as he replied they would be taking on Ruben Amorim's Manchester United on Sunday. He then asked Son if he thought Spurs "had a good chance", to which the 32-year-old replied: "I hope so".

The monarch then said: "Is the team in good order at the moment?" Son paused before responding: "We are in a difficult moment but we are working hard."

Son's conversation with the King comes just days after Prince William's Aston Villa piled the pressure on Spurs and chairman Daniel Levy as they dumped them out of the FA Cup.

Son has also come under fire during Tottenham's nightmare season after being accused of going missing in games.

The forward has looked a shadow of his former self and appears unable to make the same blistering runs he has become renowned for in his career, but has still managed ten goals and seven assists in all competitions.

Spurs face a huge game against United this weekend, where Postecoglou is hoping to welcome back a handful of players following weeks of having some of his best players unavailable. Up to five players could return, including Guglielmo Vicario, Destiny Udogie, James Maddison, Brennan Johnson and Timo Werner.

King Charles had a ball at Tottenham Hotspur's £1billion stadium where he was told he was "bigger than Beyonce ".

He toured the 62,850-capacity ground in North London to celebrate the club's "charitable" work. Spurs have been particularly charitable on the pitch languishing in 14th place in the Premier League and out of both domestic cups. But the King "celebrated the positive socio-economic impact of the football club" including partnership with NFL and the local north London community. Spurs' ground not only hosts Tottenham Hotspur but also regular season NFL games.

He was given a huge cheer from Spurs flag-waving children in the stands as he emerged through the players' tunnel onto the pitch. And had a crash course on throwing an American Football before being given a ball from the Super Bowl LIX held in New Orleans on Sunday.

Charles, 76, who is believed to be a Burnley fan, was welcomed to the state-of-the-art stadium by Spurs chairman Daniel Levy. In the players' tunnel met men's and women's captains Heung-Min Son and Bethany England.

And chatted with British NFL player Efe Obada and captain of Team GB Women's Flag Football team and NFL Global Flag Ambassador, Phoebe Schecter. In a friendly chat South Korean superstar striker Son, 32, told the King "we are playing Manchester Utd on Sunday."

The King asked: "How is the team doing at the moment." Son replied: "Difficult moments, but working hard." The King replied that there were "a lot of good coaches". Stepping onto the pitch he was cheered by local school children who had been chanting 'we want the King' before his arrival.

He watched a demonstration by young people involved in The Huddle Project, a programme launched in 2023 by Tottenham Hotspur, the NFL and Nike. The dual sport programme for boys and girls aged 11 to 18, increases access to free football and NFL Flag game.

Good sport Charles was coaxed into trying his hand as a Quarterback and threw a football at a net which had hoops as targets. Although his effort fell short, British Gridiron star Efe Obada, 32, who plays Defensive End for the Washington Commanders in the NFL hailed the King's efforts.

Efe said: "I loved his energy, the fact that he came in here willing to get stuck in. His technique was immense. I wanted him to get a hoop, in the target, but he was just having a good time. We talked about the NFL and he's a fan. He's going to watch the games." Afterwards, Charles was presented with a replica of Tottenham’s historic original golden cockerel statue and an American football from Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans. Ledley King, club ambassador and playing legend, also met the King on the pitch.

He said afterwards: "It's fantastic to have the King here. There is a lot of great work going on in the community and great to have him here at the stadium to see what goes on. It's much more than a football stadium, it reaches out to the wider community.

"We spoke about the difference between the NFL and football and how there is quite a few stoppages and now that I'm older it's a lot easier for me with many stoppages. It's a pleasure to meet him."

Inside the stadium, Charles met community groups and local businesses that have benefitted from the opportunities provided by the new stadium.

This included students from the London Academy of Excellence Tottenham (LAET) – a state- funded high achieving Sixth Form located on the stadium campus which prioritises local students from disadvantaged socio-economic backgrounds.

And also meet young people supported by The King’s Trust, a youth charity founded by His Majesty as Prince of Wales in 1976, who live and work in Tottenham. This included young people who had taken part in The Trust’s "Get into Security" programme delivered with Tottenham Hotspur and are now employed at the stadium.

He met Gina Moffatt, 48, an ex-prisoner, who turned her life around with help from the King's Trust, formerly the Prince's Trust, now runs a successful restaurant in Tottenham employing 15 full time staff.

She said to him: "I'm so excited that you're even back in Tottenham, this year's looking all good, Tottenham Hotspur's doing great stuff." The 48-year-old made Charles laugh when she said: "We've got Beyonce coming but you're bigger than Beyonce." Beyonce is performing six nights at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in June.

Nial Thompson, 24, a caterer who secured help via the King's Trust, shook Charles's hand and said: "It helped me a lot, thank you so, so much." Charles replied: "We are all very proud of you." Dozens of well-wishers waited outside the ground to shake the King's hand as he left.

Ange Postecoglou's position as Tottenham Hotspur manager could be in jeopardy after his players were accused of "quitting" on him.

The 59-year-old, who took the reins at Spurs in June 2023, has had a disappointing season so far with his team languishing in 14th place in the Premier League after losing 13 matches. Hopes of reaching the Carabao Cup final were also dashed when Liverpool thrashed Spurs 4-0 on Thursday, despite Postecoglou's side entering the second-leg tie with a 1-0 lead.

Spurs decision makers are reportedly still backing their beleaguered boss, with chairman Daniel Levy's readiness to make moves in the January transfer market underlining this support. However, former Watford striker Troy Deeney believes that Postecoglou's men simply gave up against Liverpool, sparking concern he may have lost the dressing room.

"Anyone who has played the game will tell you most of those Spurs players quit, gave up," Deeney wrote in The Sun. "Not on each other or themselves, but quit on the manager, the fan base, everything." He also maintained that he saw just one player front up for media duties at the end of the game, further strengthening his claim that players at Spurs have downed tools for their under-fire manager.

Should Spurs relieve Postecoglou of his position, Mirror Football have taken a look at five candidates who could replace him.

Andoni Iraola

Bournemouth's Spanish coach has emerged as one of the most sought-after coaches in the Premier League. The Cherries have been one of the surprise teams this season, currently sitting seventh in the table, with Iraola beating Postecoglou, Mikel Arteta, Pep Guardiola, Ruben Amorim, Enzo Maresca and Eddie Howe so far this term.

The 42-year-old has also managed well during a severe injury crisis, during which he lost both of his strikers, Evanilson and Enes Unal. According to the Express, he is currently one of the leading favourites with the bookies to take over should Postecoglou's tenure come to an end - though it'd likely cost a pretty penny to buy him out of his Bournemouth deal.

Thomas Frank

The Brentford manager has been showered with praise for guiding his side to the top flight with promotion from the Championship in the 2020/21 season thanks to the play-offs and for keeping them a part of the Premier League set-up since then. Celebrated for his team's attacking flair, Frank is said to be a top contender for any move due to his admitted willingness to depart the Bees eventually.

In a December 2024 chat, the Danish coach shared his criteria for considering an exit: "I think the club you're going into, can you instantly improve it? Is there low-hanging fruits, or is it difficult to raise the bar? And is their finances good? Can you get the players in and out you want to? I think that's the key," he said.

He also reflected on his future aspirations by saying: "I think there's a part of me that thinks that one day, maybe I need to try something different. Is that a bigger club, Champions League, bigger challenge? I don't know."

Mauricio Pochettino

Despite more recently managing rivals Chelsea, Pochettino retains a special affection for his old team. The Argentinian was ousted by Levy in late 2019 following a downturn in results, even though he had led Spurs to a Champions League final just months before, where Liverpool defeated them.

In a chat with BT Sport back in November 2022, Pochettino aired his hope for a future comeback: "Deep in my chest, my soul, my heart - I am sure that we will cross [paths] again. My dream is to be back and to try to finish the work that we didn't finish."

Yet, even with odds at about 5/1, his desire to lead the United States national team towards the 2026 World Cup could be a significant hurdle.

Kieran McKenna

McKenna has turned heads at Ipswich, earning promotion to the Premier League after a 22-year hiatus, clearly showing his managerial prowess. Despite Ipswich's current predicament, sitting in 19th with just a trio of victories, McKenna's lengthy seven-year history with Spurs' academy and a return to the club in 2015 as an Under-18s coach mean he knows the club inside out.

His stellar record in the lower leagues combined with his age might make him an attractive option for Levy. Bookies have priced him at around 11/2 to step in if Postecoglou parts ways.

Edin Terzic

Terzic currently finds without a job since his departure from Borussia Dortmund last summer. He led Dortmund to the Champions League final in the 2023/24 season but fell short against Real Madrid despite a dominant performance. Terzic also captured the DFB-Pokal trophy during the 2020-21 campaign.

In a surprising development, despite links connecting Terzic to the managerial role at Besiktas, the club's president indicated that the coach was likely headed to Tottenham amidst growing doubts about Postecoglou's future, according to Football London.

Besiktas President Serdal Adali, speaking to Turkish TV network Tivibu Spor last month, revealed: "Edin Terzic was one of our foreign alternatives. In the meeting, he said he was expecting an agreement with Tottenham. That book is closed." Ultimately, it was Ole Gunnar Solskjaer who took over the helm of the Turkish team.

Liverpool enter the second leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final against Tottenham Hotspur needing to overturn their 1-0 deficit if they want to reach Wembley.

The Reds - who are the current holders of the trophy - fell to a slender 1-0 defeat in north London last month, courtesy of Lucas Bergvall's late winner. With one foot in the final, a positive result at Anfield on Thursday would see Spurs reach their second Carabao Cup final in four years.

However, it will be no easy task for Ange Postecoglou's side given Liverpool's pedigree in the competition. No other club has won the tournament more times than the Merseyside outfit (10).

Arne Slot's side are in imperious form, too, and come into this off the back of an impressive 2-0 away win over Bournemouth. Struggling Spurs, on the other hand, claimed their first league win in eight games last Sunday when they overcame Brentford 2-0 at the Gtech Community Stadium.

The Dutchman will be counting on the Anfield crowd to roar his side to victory over a Spurs team that remain troubled by injury. Mirror Football takes a look at how you can tune in to watch Liverpool and Tottenham for free.

What time is Liverpool vs Tottenham?

Liverpool v Tottenham will take place at Anfield on Thursday, with kick-off set for 8pm.

How to watch Liverpool vs Tottenham for free

Fans will be happy to find out that the tasty clash is available to watch for free, live on ITV1 and ITVX. Thanks to an agreement between Sky Sports, ITV, and the EFL, UK football supporters have the chance to watch select Carabao Cup and EFL fixtures on terrestrial TV.

The agreement between the broadcasters began this month, with the semi-final fixtures being the first to be shared across ITV and Sky Sports as part of the new deal. The agreement is set to run until the end of the 2026/27 season, with the second leg also being shown live on Sky Sports Football and Main Event from 7pm.

For £20 per month, Sky Sports can be added to any Sky TV package for all nine sports channels, or for £35 per month, you can grab the complete sports package, including Netflix. Sky Sports customers are also able to live stream the match via the Sky Go app on smartphones and tablets as part of their subscription.

Fans can also tune into the game via a day membership through NOW, or a monthly subscription, while you can also live stream Liverpool vs Tottenham online through ITVX.

Tottenham's social media team have poked fun at Jamie Carragher after the pundit claimed he would be "shocked" if they beat Brentford - before being left red-faced after Ange Postecoglou's men secured a 2-0 win.

Spurs earned their first win in eight matches with an impressive display at the G-Tech Community Stadium thanks to an own goal from Vitaly Janelt and a late strike by Pape Sarr.

Tottenham had been engulfed by a crisis before the game after slipping to 16th in the Premier League following 13 defeats, but Carragher's words were particularly brutal as he made his prediction before kick-off.

The Liverpool legend told Sky Sports he was fearful for Spurs after seeing them line up in defence with Archie Gray and Ben Davies as a makeshift centre-back pairing. He said: "I'll be absolutely shocked if Tottenham win there today. When I look at that back four, they've been decimated.

"They've brought a defender [Kevin Danso] in. I thought Van de Ven was going to be involved today. Obviously they've lost their goalkeeper, they've brought one in [Antonin Kinsky], but when you actually look at that Tottenham back four, if they concede less than three today, I will be surprised.

"I'm not criticising them - they're young kids; Ben Davies is in there, he's not a centre-back, he's a left-back. Archie Gray's done brilliantly for them, he's an 18-year-old kid - to go away to Brentford, set pieces, long balls, what you've got to deal with as a centre back..."

Spurs then teased Carragher on their TikTok account as they posted his pre-match comments followed by clips of their two goals against Brentford with some playful music in the background.

The clip then ends with Carragher's fellow pundit and Arsenal legend Thierry Henry looking confused to the delight of Spurs fans, who hailed the team who came up with the post.

One fan wrote: "Our social media team had enough of Jamie Carragher," followed by some laughing emojis. Another said: "Invoking Henry's flabbergasted response was brilliant," while a third added: "@Carra23 are you not astounded/surprised? Just asking."

Postecoglou hailed Tottenham for grinding out a big win with a solid defensive performance despite having nine players unavailable for the game.

"Difficult place to come, difficult place to win at, difficult place to keep them out," he said. "They're getting throw-ins into the box, set pieces, crosses, you're just going to have to defend the box irrespective of how you want to tactically approach it, and I just thought the lads handled that awfully well.

"I still felt we had the quality of our football to hurt them the other way. Our second goal was outstanding."

Leyton Orient boss Richie Wellens was forced into a grovelling apology to Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou after making a "stupid comment" about the Australian.

Wellens gave a spiky interview after the League One side were beaten 1-0 by Stockport on Saturday and snapped at a reporter after being asked if the team's injury problems were to blame for their defeat. He said: "I'm not Ange Postecoglou, keep using it as an excuse."

The 63-year-old has seen Spurs suffer a crippling injury crisis with half of his squad wiped out in recent months. Tottenham have since plummeted to 16th in the Premier League table and Postecoglou has repeatedly insisted they will recover once more fit players return.

Wellens' comments led to anger from Tottenham fans, who pointed out the club have a close relationship with Leyton Orient and often loan them players.

This season, Spurs youngsters Jamie Donley and Josh Keeley are with the O's and Wellens quickly apologised, saying he was "deeply embarrassed" about his choice of words.

He said: "After today's game, I was asked about the injuries within our squad and, without thinking, I made a stupid comment about Tottenham Hotspur.

"That comment was brought to my attention later in the evening and, having watched my interview back, I am deeply embarrassed and regret what I said.

"At Leyton Orient, we have a strong relationship with Tottenham Hotspur and it was never my intention to say anything that would jeopardise that. Their manager, Ange Postecoglou, is a world-class coach and I want to apologise for my comments and wish Spurs all the very best for the second half of the season."

Postecoglou recently rued Tottenham's injury crisis again after welcoming back Mickey van de Ven from a long-term absence, only to lose Radu Dragusin to a knee problem.

"Every time I’ve seen the light at the end of the tunnel it’s usually been an oncoming train," he said. "We seem to be losing players as we get them back. We obviously tried to shield Radu last night, because he had played a lot of football. He comes on and he gets injured.

"You can’t plan for these things. We’ve got a big week coming up, starting Sunday. We’re going to have to do it with this core group of players, so we’ve just got to be careful about how we go about it."