ANGE POSTECOGLOU snapped at a Sky Sports reporter in a “generational meltdown” after Tottenham’s defeat to Chelsea.
The Australian saw red after Enzo Fernandez’s strike condemned his side to another defeat.
Spurs were second best all over the field at Stamford Bridge on Thursday.
And fans even booed when Postecoglou replaced favourites including Lucas Bergvall in the second half.
Tottenham also saw a strike from Pape Matar Sarr ruled out for the midfielder’s earlier foul on Moises Caicedo, resulting in a yellow card after a lengthy VAR check.
Postecoglou cupped his ears to Spurs fans when the goal initially went in after they had jeered Sarr’s introduction in place of Bergvall.
While goalie Guglielmo Vicario appeared to shush several supporters at full-time.
The result means Tottenham remain rooted to 14th in the table, 10 points off the top half and 18 off fourth-place Chelsea.
But Postecoglou could not contain his disdain for the result after full time.
Speaking to Sky Sports’s Patrick Davison, the Spurs gaffer slammed the length of time it took for VAR to rule out Sarr’s goal.
But he also took aim at the reporter, who had suggested that despite the lengthy wait, VAR actually made the correct decision.
Postecoglou said: “Look Pat, you can try and force me into a corner. You are. Did you think last night was a red card? Clear and obvious? Yes, okay.
“How many minutes did it take this referee to figure out it was clear and obvious? In your basic knowledge of vocabulary, clear and obvious, what does that suggest to you.
“If you have to watch something quite a few times, is that clear and obvious?”
Davison replied: “No, it’s maybe not clear and obvious [but] I do think it was a foul, if I’m honest.”
Postecoglou fired back: “Right, there you go. So the referee didn’t see it, he then needs to see it for six minutes, but he gets the right outcome so you’re happy. That’s why the game is going the way it is.
“I guess people like you will continue to be happy, sitting on your couches, waiting six minutes for clear and obvious stuff. I don’t agree with it, but that’s fine.”
Fans were quick to react to Postecoglou’s rant.
One said: “Generational meltdown.”
Another declared: “Absolute gold this.”
One noted: “Clear and obvious Spurs are 14th.”
Another added: “Unlucky mate.”
Ange’s Sky Sports rant in full
“Difficult night, tight game. Not an easy place to come. You have to work hard to stay in the game.
“They scored a disappointing goal but we forced our way back in the game but unfortunately we couldn’t get the goal.
“It’s a work in progress. It’s the first time we’ve had the group together and there were elements of it. We didn’t get locked in tonight.
“We could have been a little bit cleaner with our football. But for the most part we handled it well.
“It’s a tough ask coming here but there was enough there tonight to say the lads are getting back to the level we need to get to.
“VAR is killing the game. We all saw on TV last night and if Jared Gillett had been the VAR it would have had a different outcome.
“You just don’t know what you’re going to get and everyone’s standing around for 12 minutes but no one seems to care.
“They love the drama and controversy. They want a 24-hour discussion about it but it’s killing the game.
What was clear and obvious about it? The referee had to look at it three or four times. Last night we sat on our couches and all went ‘Oh my God!’
“Tonight we stood for six minutes for Jarred Gillett. It’s madness but we accept it and when we accept it we have to take the fallout.
“Look Pat, you can try and force me into a corner. You are. Did you think last night was a red card? Clear and obvious? Yes, okay.
“How many minutes did it take this referee to figure out it was clear and obvious?
“In your basic knowledge of vocabulary, clear and obvious, what does that suggest to you. If you have to watch something quite a few times, is that clear and obvious?
“Right, there you go. So the referee didn’t see it, he then needs to see it for six minutes, but he gets the right outcome so you’re happy.
“That’s why the game is going the way it is. I guess people like you will continue to be happy, sitting on your couches, waiting six minutes for clear and obvious stuff. I don’t agree with it, but that’s fine.
“I wanted the supporters to cheer. I thought it was a cracking goal. They’ve booed my substitutions before. It had nothing to do with them booing my substitutions.
“You’re trying really hard, mate but my view is that it was a tight game decided by a really poor decision.
“Apart from that everyone got through healthy, we got some minutes into players and we move on to Sunday.”
Later on, Postecoglou denied trying to wind up fans following his ear-cupping after Sarr’s goal.
He said: “Jesus mate, it’s incredible how things get interpreted. We’d just scored, I just wanted to hear them cheer.
“Because we’d been through a tough time, and I thought it was a cracking goal. I 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 [side].
“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.”
Postecoglou also continued his VAR rant, adding: “It’s killing the game but no-one cares about it.
“Clear and obvious means you go to the screen, standing around for six minutes.
“Not me, because I’m very vocal on it, we all accept it. It’s going to be refereed by AI soon.
“Like I said, we might as well dispense with the players at some point when some genius comes up with a game with no participants at some point. Referees aren’t refereeing.
“If anyone believes when VAR was brought in we would be sitting around for six minutes with a microscope. It’s irrelevant if it’s a foul.”
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