THIS defeat summed up why Daniel Levy is still unsure what to do with Ange Postecoglou.
But the relentless singing of the Aussie’s name throughout this 22nd Prem loss by the Spurs fans showed exactly what they make of the man who ended their 17-year trophy drought.
Levy is understood yet to have made his mind up over whether to sack or back Postecoglou following Wednesday’s Europa League triumph.
He had been expected to axe the 59-year-old even if European glory had been delivered due to the horrific league campaign, which has ended with Spurs in 17th.
That was barring an emotional U-turn, which now cannot be ruled out after Postecoglou went and pulled off a historic win in Bilbao.
The unforgettable scenes of the last week have certainly changed the minds of many fans, who are now demanding the ex-Celtic boss be retained.
But Levy’s dilemma will not have been helped by Postecoglou’s men getting spanked in their final home game.
They were 1-0 up at half-time thanks to Dominic Solanke’s penalty but collapsed after the break.
Jack Hinshelwood’s double turned it round, before a Matt O’Riley spot-kick and Diego Gomez’s stunner turned it into a mauling.
Postecoglou heads on holiday on Monday with his future unlikely to be resolved as Levy takes more time to think it over.
The ecstasy in N17 over the last few days prior to today’s second half will likely have some impact on his decision after so long without a trophy.
And it was a carnival atmosphere ahead of kick-off here around the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium as thousands of blue-and-white flags were twirled in celebration.
Chants of “Champions of Europe, we know what we are” and the “Johnson again ole ole” – in reference to the match-winner in Bilbao – rang around the ground.
While Postecoglou’s name was sung for the first time in months, perhaps all season long, from the diehard supporters in the South Stand.
Spurs’ players had effectively been on a three-day bender since beating Manchester United in Spain on Wednesday.
But they made a sober enough start to the game and even took the lead on 17 minutes through Solanke after Mats Wieffer had caught Mathys Tel for a nailed-on penalty.
England man Solanke clipped his spot-kick in off the bar for his ninth league goal of the campaign and 16th in all competitions.
Spurs were playing well – much more Ange Ball than the Ange Wall that defended their way to glory in Bilbao.
Rodrigo Bentancur, in particular, was revelling in it with some clever tricks and crunching tackles.
Seven minutes before the break, it should have been 2-0 as Pedro Porro fed Tel but somehow the Frenchman, on loan from Bayern Munich, could not beat Bart Verbruggen.
Brighton had a dramatic second-half turnaround in the reverse of this fixture back in October, coming from 2-0 down at the break to win 3-2.
It was a hugely damaging loss for Postecolgou, exposing a fragility that would crop up time and again in the league.
And here it was a story of another fightback following the interval for Fabian Hurzeler’s side for a win that secured them an eighth-placed finish.
The 32-year-old Albion chief sparked it with an inspired double half-time substitution, bringing on Gomez and Bayern Munich-target Kaoru Mitoma.
Suddenly, the visitors upped the intensity – while Spurs’ interval swap Wilson Odobert produced a first touch that suggested a heavy few days celebrating had preceded it.
Brighton’s first two goals were almost identical to each other, and not just via the goal-scorer Hinshelwood.
They both came from corners that Spurs failed to clear and there was England Under-21 star Hinshelwood, Johnny on the spot, to stick away the loose ball.
His first strike was a clinical blast into the roof of the net on 51 minutes, his second a clever backheel 13 minutes later.
The travelling fans mocked their hosts with chants of “Champions of Europe, you’re having a laugh” and telling Postecoglou “you’re getting sacked in the morning”.
That turned into “You lucky b***ards, you should have gone down” after O’Riley’s spot-kick made it 3-1 late on.
It referred to Spurs’ pitiful haul of 38 points, which in seasons gone by would most definitely have seen them get relegated.
The penalty was awarded when sub Yves Bissouma, one of the revellers-in-chief on Spurs’ parade party bus on Friday, caught Gomez with a late challenge that suggested a hangover.
With regular-taker Joao Pedro not in the squad following a bust-up with team-mate Jean Paul van Hecke in training, the ball was handed to O’Riley who curled it home.
It got worse when Gomez curled home a 30-yard peach to rubber-stamp the victory, before bursting into tears in celebration.
Home fans responded by twirling their flags and producing a rousing rendition of ‘When the Spurs go marching in’.
What Levy will have made of it though was anyone’s guess.
Finishing 17th, with a Prem record 22 defeats, is the worst Tottenham have managed since they were relegated in 1977.
And yet how can you sack a man who has delivered the first piece of silverware in 17 years – and the first European trophy since 1984?
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