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Tottenham forward Mathys Tel looked to calm down angry supporters and told them 'we need to be together' in the wake of their 2-0 defeat at Fulham on Sunday.

Spurs slumped to their 15th Premier League loss of the season after late goals from Rodrigo Muniz and Ryan Sessegnon and the away end voiced their fury at full-time.

Particular chants were directed toward the under pressure Ange Postecoglou, whose side are 13th and a whopping 14 points adrift of the Champions League spots. Damningly, they are also set for their worst top-flight finish since 2003-04.

But Tel climbed into the travelling section after the final whistle to address their concerns and issue a rallying cry, highlighting the importance of backing the team.

A video posted on X showed the 19-year-old speaking to heated supporters at the front of one stand at Craven Cottage while still wearing his club tracksuit.

Tel was heard telling supporters that they 'need to be together' although his words fell on deaf ears with the ace told that performances 'aren't good enough'.

Other punters were heard shouting X-rated remarks including 'get him out', an apparent dig at Postecoglou as Spurs' horror campaign continues.

The interaction lasted for around 30 seconds before Tel clambered back over the advertising hoardings and onto the pitch. He then made his way to the tunnel.

The attacker, on loan from Bayern Munich, was handed a recall to the starting XI by Postecoglou but was hooked after a blunt display lasting 77 minutes.

He had been dropped for Spurs' must-win Europa League showdown against AZ Alkmaar on Thursday after a run of four games without a goal involvement.

Spurs created several chances but were unable to take them, Dominic Solanke spurning three openings - including one just five yards out - in the second half.

Fulham substitute Muniz then broke the deadlock in the 78th minute before former Spurs man Sessegnon wrapped a superb effort into the far corner.

Post-match, Postegolou admitted he understood the anger from supporters, declaring his side's rollercoaster form this campaign as 'unacceptable'.

'I get their disappointment,' he said. 'It's unacceptable to see 15 league defeats.

'It's nowhere near good enough, nowhere near the level we need to be and I understand the supporters' frustrations with that.

'Today wasn't so much about performance, it was just another day when we let a game get away from us that we shouldn't have. We weren't played off the park and I felt that up until the point they scored, we were the team that was getting on top.

'We had a couple of good chances to go 1-0 up and that would have put the pressure on them, but it's happened too many times this year.

'We've given the opposition a lift into the game by conceding soft goals.'

Spurs suffered a 15th league defeat of the season after conceding twice late on

The result leaves Ange Postecoglou's strugglers 10 points adrift of the top half

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Tottenham and boring are two words that have rarely appeared in the same sentence during the Ange Postecoglou era. For everyone connected to this club, a goalless draw would've felt like a welcome relief from the usual madness.

And just as they looked set to be coasting to their first in 109 games, the inevitable happened.

It was a game that started with the vigour and tempo of a Sunday afternoon stroll along the Thames. But ultimately it was one settled by a decisive tactical tweak by Fulham boss Marco Silva.

After watching Postecoglou bring Son Heung-min, Lucas Bergvall and James Maddison off the bench to great effect, Silva, taking charge of his 200th Premier League game, rolled the dice too.

On came Rodrigo Muniz for Raul Jimenez. A quarter of an hour later, it was Muniz who finally broke the deadlock, stroking nonchalantly past Guglielmo Vicario from inside the box.

It still managed to get even worse from there for Postecoglou. Substitute Ryan Sessegnon, who only rejoined Fulham from Tottenham in the summer, out-muscled Ben Davies before bending the ball delightfully past Vicario.

And with that, Tottenham were brought crashing back down to earth with a bump following their crucial win over AZ Alkmaar in the Europa League.

Postecoglou made seven changes to his side from Thursday and the recalled Mathys Tel created the first chance after an opening 20 minutes.

The Frenchman jinked his way into the box, evading the Fulham legs flung in his direction, and Dominic Solanke lurked in the middle. But Tel's cross just had too much on it for Solanke, who was unable to make decisive contact from 10 yards out.

That was as good as it got, though, for Tottenham. Rather than kick on, they contrived to shoot themselves in the foot at every opportunity.

Djed Spence stuck his hands into the back of Jimenez as the Fulham forward leapt to meet a cross. The Mexican forward implored referee Andy Madley award a penalty.

The vociferous message from manager Silva to the fourth official suggested similar. But VAR Paul Tierney saw no reason to overturn the on-field decision.

But by this point Tottenham were struggling to get out of their own half, their cause not helped by wayward passing. Yves Bissouma's pass straight out of play under little pressure marked a particular low-point.

Yet another mistake led to Fulham's best chance of the half. Luckily for Tottenham, it fell to Fulham defender Timothy Castagne. He picked up Davies' dreadful clearance but curled a tame effort straight at Vicario.

Last-ditch blocks from Archie Gray, who was given a rare starting berth in his preferred midfield position, and Cristian Romero followed as Postecoglou’s side continued to live dangerously.

He turned to Son and Bergvall at the break and got the impact he desired.

The Swede, in particular, was impressive. He added impetus and drive in the midfield and saw his cross nodded narrowly wide by Solanke.

He was soon joined in the middle of the park by Maddison, on for Romero with 20 minutes to play, and it was Maddison's first touch that should have set up the opener.

Bernd Leno was finally called into action to palm away Tel's curling shot. But the Fulham keeper pushed the ball straight into the path of Maddison, who deftly used his chest to find Solanke, who volleyed horribly high and wide from a few yards out.

Chances for Fulham were few and far between.

Willian, the former Arsenal and Chelsea winger, received a chorus of pantomime boos from the away end with his every touch. He almost settled the game with a stunner too, curling inches wide from the edge of the box.

But with 12 minutes to play, it was Silva's sub that came up trumps.

MATCH FACTS

Fulham: Leno, Castagne, Andersen, Bassey, Robinson, Pereira, Berge, Iwobi (Traore, 63), Smith Rowe (Cairney, 72), Willian (Sessegnon, 87), Jimenez (Muniz, 63)

Subs not used: Reed, Cuenca, Benda, King, Sessegnon, Godo

Goals: Muniz 78, Sessegnon 88

Booked: None

Manager: Marco Silva

Tottenham: Vicario, Spence, Romero (Maddison, 68), Davies, Udogie, Bentancur (Scarlett, 86), Gray, Bissouma (Bergvall, 46), Johnson (Son, 46), Solanke, Tel (Odobert, 77)

Subs not used: Porro, Sarr, Kinsky, van de Ven

Goals: None

Booked: None

Manager: Ange Postecoglou

Tottenham failed to clear their lines from an Antonee Robinson cross and allowed Adama Traore and Andreas Pereira to exchange passes before the ball dropped to Muniz. The Brazilian had no time for a backswing, but that proved no problem as he stroked into the far corner beyond Vicario.

Things got even worse for the visitors in embarrassing fashion too when Davies failed to deal with Leno's long ball. Sessegnon proved too determined in his pursuit of possession and left the Welshman on his back-side.

The full back was beset with injuries during his time at Tottenham but curled emphatically past Vicario to seal the win.

Manchester United co-owners Ineos have made an early exit from their sponsorship deal with Tottenham after a pay-off agreement was reached, Inside Sport understands.

Last month, we reported how amicable discussions were taking place with a view to Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s petrochemicals giant withdrawing prematurely from a five-year deal signed in 2022.

Ineos were the official 4 x 4 partner of Spurs via their Grenadier vehicle and the curious sight of their branding on the dugouts and advertisement screens at a Premier League rival was the result of a deal signed well before their involvement at Old Trafford and thought to be worth several millions per season.

However, it was no longer visible at Tottenham’s Europa League victory over AZ Alkmaar on Thursday night.

And Mail Sport has been told a deal has been agreed which sees Ineos paying a ‘not insignificant sum’ thought to be in the millions to end the deal.

While it saves Ratcliffe’s company and ends a not-great look, it also frees Spurs up to seek a new sponsor. The North London club may well seek a more lucrative general automotive deal as a replacement for the 4 x 4.

The situation certainly seems to have played out in more harmony than Ineos’s attempt to exit early from their sponsorship deal with the All Blacks, who have taken legal action over a withdrawal over an agreement not due to end until 2027.

A partnership with Sir Ben Ainslie’s America’s Cup team has also been terminated, while the Daily Telegraph reported earlier this week that Ineos’ one-third stake in Mercedes Formula 1 was also at threat, with talks ongoing as they seek to focus entirely on United.

Spurs were in control after goals from Wilson Odobert and James Maddison

Peer Koopmeiners levelled the tie before Odobert tapped in the winner

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Anxiety, brilliance, confusion. Perhaps not quite the classic A to Z of Tottenham under Ange Postecoglou but they made it through the alphabet as far as V is for victory thanks to Wilson Odobert’s emergence as a goal hero.

Odobert has spent most of his first season injured since his £25million move from Burnley last summer but conjured his first goals for the club as Spurs overcame a first leg deficit to see off the challenge of AZ Alkmaar.

He levelled the tie in the first half, had a hand in the second scored by James Maddison and even played a part of the defensive mix-up which helped the Dutch back into it, via a goal by Peer Koopmeiners.

But Odobert’s final act was the decisive one of the night as he tapped in the winning goal in the 73rd minute, after an overlapping charge down the left and cross by Djed Spence and a flick by Dominic Solanke at the near post.

This being Spurs, it was not without a nervous finish. Guglielmo Vicario made late saves and Yves Bissouma produced a terrific sliding clearance to deny AZ substitute Mees de Wit and protect Tottenham’s slender lead and book a Europa League quarter final with Eintracht Frankfurt next month.

Tottenham supporters responded to the rallying cry from Postecoglou to create a positive atmosphere and generate energy, and his players opened at a decent tempo, looking to go forward with purpose.

But AZ, unlike Spurs who fought back from two down to draw with Bournemouth on Sunday, had not played since the first leg. They were refreshed after a request to postpone Eredivisie fixture was granted by the Dutch FA to enable them to focus purely on the second leg.

They came with the first-leg advantage, courtesy of Lucas Bergvall’s own goal in Alkmaar, and a sensible plan to yield possession, defending in numbers to frustrate and seeking to do their damage on the turnover of possession, whether that was pressing and smothering Spurs as they played out of defence or looking to strike on the counter attack from deep, with speedy attackers such as left winger Ernest Poku.

It held together reasonably well until a mistake by young centre-half Wouter Goes in the 26th minute. Goes was forced back to retrieve a ball from a right back position and he took a little too much time.

Heung-min Son saw his chance to close down and made a vital blocked as Goes turned to clear. The ricochet spilled infield, kindly for Solanke who had the composure to roll a pass square to Odobert who arrived to lash a left-footer past Rome-Jayden Owusu-Oduro for his first goal since scoring for Burnley on the opening day of the Championship season.

Back on level terms in the tie, the mood lifted again. Tottenham passed the ball with extra zip and Son threatened, coming inside from the left. Bergvall curled an ambitious effort over from long range.

The visitors took more risks, ventured out more and tested Postecoglou’s defensive unit, which had first choice central defenders Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven, starting together in the back four for the first time since both were injured against Chelsea in early December.

Vicario, whose saves in the first leg kept his team in the tie, came out smartly at the feet of Poku and Zico Buurmeester was presented with a chance, albeit a tricky one which spun his way just before the interval.

Buurmeester did not catch it as clean on the volley as his Brazilian namesake might have done, and Spurs escaped, as they did at the start of the second half when Vicario over indulged on the ball, trying to beat pressure from Peer Koopmeiners by dragging the ball away with the sole of his boot.

He was fortunate and within seconds Tottenham were at the other end celebrating their second, stylishly converted by Maddison from about 10 yards after a brisk exchange of passes with Son after Odobert carried the ball forward at pace.

From here Postecoglou’s team attacked with confidence and might have scored more but there was a reminder from AZ when Jordy Clasie flashed a shot wide from the edge of the penalty area.

Then Spurs helped back into the contest with a defensive mix-up between Odobert and Bergvall just three minutes after Van de Ven, still not ready for 90 minutes after months of hamstring problems, had been replaced by Archie Gray.

Odobert restored Tottenham’s lead and they survived the late scares to move into the last eight and keep Postecoglou’s quest for a trophy alive.

Follow Mail Sport's live blog for the latest score, team news and updates as Tottenham welcome Az Alkmaar in the Europa League whilst Chelsea host FC Copenhagen in the Conference League.

© Associated Newspapers Ltd

Ange Postecoglou has given an angry response to a reporter who suggested Tottenham's Europa League tie against AZ Alkmaar was 'win or bust' in terms of their season prospects.

Spurs trail 1-0 ahead of the return leg in north London on Thursday night with Lucas Bergvall's own goal proving the difference between the two teams.

That means that Postecoglou's side must win on the night to stand any chance of progressing to the quarter finals.

Ahead of the second leg, the Australian was asked, with the game being 'billed by some as win or bust' when it came to Tottenham's season and his chances of continuing as the club's manager.

Addressing Postecoglou, the reporter asked: 'How do you feel about it and how important is it?'

Giving an angry response, he replied: 'There aren't many professions in the world where you have to come in and answer questions like that is there?'

'But I'm going to be polite and just say we are focussed on winning the game.

'We certainly feel if we can play with the intensity and tempo we played with [against Bournemouth on Sunday], we will give ourselves a good chance to progress'.

The Europa League remains Tottenham's only realistic chance of silverware this season as the Lilywhites have already been eliminated from both the FA Cup and Carabao Cup - and sit 13th in the Premier League after an underwhelming campaign.

Should they beat Dutch side Alkmaar, the Lilywhites would still be required to potentially beat the likes of Lazio, Athletic Club and Manchester United.

A follow-up question also saw Postecoglou asked whether he regretted saying that he always wins trophies in his second season.

Back in September, he remarked: 'I don't usually win things, I always win things in my second year. Nothing has changed. I don't say things unless I believe them.'

At Celtic, Postecoglou failed to win anything in his first season in charge in 2020/21, but in his second campaign, 2021/22, he managed the team to a Scottish Premiership title and the Scottish League Cup title.

In Japan, he managed Yokohama F Marinos from 2017/18 onwards, steering the Japanese team to their first J League title in15 years.

He also won the Asian Cup with Australia in 2014/15, having taking on the top role for the men's national team in 2013.

Bournemouth goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga produced two costly errors in Sunday's 2-2 draw away at Tottenham Hotspur.

The Cherries held a deserved 2-0 lead after 65 minutes courtesy of strikes from Marcus Tavernier and Evanilson, while Justin Kluivert had seen another goal ruled out for offside.

But Spurs were gifted a route back into the contest when Kepa was beaten by Pape Matar Sarr's mis-hit cross in the 67th minute.

Kepa then gifted the home side a penalty kick by rashly rushing out of his six-yard box to foul Son Heung-min, who had been running away from goal.

Son stepped up to convert the penalty himself and earn Spurs a point.

Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher was commentating on Sunday's game for Sky Sports and reacted to Kepa's foul on Son by exclaiming: 'What is he doing!?'

Kepa then briefly trended on X (formerly Twitter), where the majority of comments were not complimentary.

One fan posted: 'Kepa has single-handedly ruined Bournemouth's game today.'

Another comment read: 'What the hell is Kepa doing I'm in disbelief'.

However, a Bournemouth supporter stood up for Kepa by commenting: 'Let's not start piling on him.

'Sure the error at the end today was totally unacceptable and unnecessary, but that doesn't change the fact he has been great almost the entire season before the last two games.

'Don't be reactionary and forget he is still a class GK'.

Sunday's result left Bournemouth eighth in the Premier League table, five points off the top four with 10 rounds of fixtures remaining.

The Cherries remain 10 points above Spurs in 13th.

It was frantic and anxious, and the fightback came about courtesy of a mis-hit cross drifting in at the back post and softish penalty, but Ange Postecoglou will grab what he can in times like these.

Maybe there is evidence his luck is on the turn because Tottenham were a little fortunate to escape with a point against Bournemouth.

They spluttered through the first half and improved without impressing in the second. And they can take some credit for their spirit and the refusal to give up, and yet they were second best for long spells in the game and could easily have conceded more.

James Tavernier and Evanilson gave the visitors a 2-0 lead in 65 minutes before Pape Matar Sarr's cross went in and Son Heung-min salvaged a point for Spurs winning and converting a late penalty.

Home form in the Premier League has been poor. This point takes them to six in the last 10 home games but after the blow of an insipid defeat at AZ Alkmaar on Thursday, this at least represents a slight upturn in fortunes.

Important players are back on the pitch, returning to fitness and all eyes are on the second leg against AZ because progress in the Europa League, where there is a place in the Champions League for the winners, is the only way Postecoglou can repackage his second season as anything other than failure.

Tottenham's fans are painfully aware of the position they are in, and an awful start against Bournemouth invited anxiety to take a grip on the atmosphere inside the stadium.

Indeed they were fortunate not to be a goal down after 18 seconds. Cristian Romero, under no pressure, side-footed a pass to Evanilson, who was clean through on goal but unable to produce a finish with enough punch to beat Guglielmo Vicario.

Romero was one of six changes made by Postecoglou to the team beaten by AZ. He led the team out and his name drew the biggest cheer when his return was confirmed before kick-off.

But the Argentina centre half started very much like someone with only 15 minutes of competitive football in the last four months as he made a hash of one pass after another in defence.

He rolled Yves Bissouma into trouble, deep in midfield. Bissouma's poor touch didn't help, and Ryan Christie won the ball and released Justin Kluivert. For the second time in the first four minutes, Vicario was faced with a one-on-one.

This time he saved with his legs and was back up on his feet to keep out a header from Tavernier when Bournemouth flung over another cross.

Andoni Iraola's team were excellent. They were quicker and sharper. They bristled with energy and aggression, content to let Spurs have the ball and spring their traps.

Tottenham survived the early pressure and grew into the game but the more they ventured forward the more vulnerable the were to Bournemouth's blistering counter attack.

Milos Kerkez was the architect of the opening goal, intercepting a careless pass by Pedro Porro and springing out of defence. Kerkez carried the ball at speed across the halfway line and delivered a spectacular cross on the run from wide on the left.

It swerved and dipped, beat Kevin Danso in flight and seemed to entrance Djed Spence, who lost his man, Tavernier, who slid in at the back post to convert on the half volley.

Spurs were booed down the tunnel at half-time, whereupon Postecoglou made two changes, sending on Son and Lucas Bergvall. Immediately, the home team had more fizz going forward although no less fragile at the back.

'It became a basketball game and that suits them,' said Postecoglou. 'We want more control. High tempo but less chaotic.'

Kluivert found the net after another sweeping counterattack only to find the goal ruled because Antoine Semenyo was offside. Son struck a post with a trademark swerving low shot deflected onto a post.

Bournemouth's second was scored by Evanilson, a neat dink over Vicario's dive after another strong run down the left by Kerkez and a disguised pass from Kluivert.

Bergvall thumped a low shot into a post form 25 yards and Sarr pulled a goal back when his cross confused Kepa Arrizabalaga.

Kluivert hit a post at the other end before the equaliser from Son, who could not wait to fall down after Kepa made the mistake of sliding out rashly in an attempt to beat him to a pass by James Maddison.

Son got his toe to the ball, and was one his way down, trailing a leg for the inevitable contact from the goalkeeper. 'Son is very smart,' shrugged Iraola. 'He forced the contact but Kepa gave him a chance and the referee decides in the moment. He decided a penalty and it has cost us.'

The point takes Bournemouth to within three points of Manchester City in fifth.

'We need to be more efficient,' said Iraola. 'Big teams, the teams that achieve big things find ways to win. We are the opposite, playing well with one point from our last two away games.

'We go to difficult places and play well, and we see teams around us finding ways to make their performances matter. We miss a little bit of this. We need to improve this… game management or call it what you want.

'But we are still in the fight. And the players deserve to take something from this season.'

Follow Mail Sport's live blog for the latest score, team news and updates from Sunday's Premier League games of Chelsea vs Leicester City and Tottenham vs Bournemouth kicking off at 2pm.

Vicario appeared to question the Spurs fans' reaction at full time on Thursday

Postecoglou has defended the star, insisting he simply cares about the club

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Tottenham goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario has issued an apology to fans offended by a post-match exchange following the club's 1-0 Europa League defeat to AZ Alkmaar.

Vicario turned and stormed off when his attempts to gee up those in the away end following the defeat in the first leg of the last-16 tie with AZ backfired and instead unleashed a barrage of abuse.

The Tottenham shot-stopped had made several fine saves to keep the tie alive ahead of the second leg, but angered some supporters inside the AFAS Stadium with his gesture.

Vicario has posted a lengthy message to supporters on social media in a bid to 'clarify' his intentions.

The Italian international stated he had attempted to keep everyone 'unified' despite the defeat and sought to reiterate his commitment to the team and fans.

'As a team, we take full responsibility for our terrible performance on the pitch last night. We will work even harder to understand, as a mature group, what went wrong,' Vicario wrote.

'Still, we have a great opportunity, starting from Sunday, to redeem ourselves and prepare in the best way possible for the second battle next Thursday.

'Regarding what happened at the final whistle in front of the away section, I want to clarify my intention to keep everyone as united as possible, even in the disappointment we have caused our people.

'If I have offended anyone, I apologise to those who felt affected.

'Post-match emotions can be misunderstood, but I assure you that my commitment to this team and you, our fans, grows stronger day after day.'

The 28-year-old had already addressed the fans reaction to his gesture post-match, acknowledging their frustration at the performance.

'We need them every game, home and away,' Vicario said post-match.

'We know they are very important for us and now is a big moment of the season and with them we can play with one more man on the pitch so it's so important.'

Defeat in the Netherlands was the 18th of a desperate season for Tottenham. They set out with eyes on the top of the Premier League and with head coach Ange Postecoglou reminding supporters he had never failed to win a trophy in his second season at any club.

But Spurs languish 13th in the league ahead of Sunday's game at home against Bournemouth, and are out of the domestic cup competitions.

Spurs boss Ange Postecoglou defended Vicario's actions post-match, insisting the goalkeeper wants 'everyone on board' as the club seek to salvage their season.

'Vic is very passionate about this football club,' Postecoglou said. 'He's very passionate about what we're trying to do here, and he wants to win, and he wants everyone on board with that.

'And if people think there is one bad or vindictive bone in Vicario's makeup, they don't know the man that I do.

'Whatever he does, he does what he thinks is best for the team and best for this football club because he really cares.'