Tottenham Hotspur manager Jose Mourinho praised new signing Steven Bergwijn after his debut goal in a 2-0 win over Manchester City on Sunday and once again raised his concerns over VAR. An eventful match in North London saw the White Hart Lane based outfit run out winners thanks to second-half goals from Bergwijn and Heung-Min Son after Oleksandr Zinchenko had been sent off.
💪🏿🤙🏿 good job ! https://t.co/B2RqCBHubH
— Moussa Sissoko (@MoussaSissoko) February 2, 2020
The Portuguese tactician Jose Mourinho told reporters that Bergwijn’s goal, scored with his first shot on target in the Premier League, capped a fine display from the 22-year-old Netherlands international. The manager said:
“It was a debut goal that was the icing on the cake of a very good performance,”
“Independent of the goal I would say his performance was very good, very solid. Very mature. We worked hard during the week.”
Tottenham’s new signing, Bergwijn said it was a dream to open his account for his new club on his first appearance:
“It’s a dream for me. To make my debut and score against Man City, it’s unbelievable.”
The match also saw plenty of controversial incidents that were referred to as Video Assistant Referee. Raheem Sterling escaped a red card for a late foul on Dele Alli, while Manchester City were awarded a penalty after a VAR check. Ilkay Gundogan saw his spot-kick saved by goalkeeper Hugo Lloris, but the France international then appeared to foul Sterling as he attempted to net the rebound.
A big win to start the week! 💪#THFC ⚪️ #COYS pic.twitter.com/LVPrdNNqTk
— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) February 3, 2020
Mourinho spoke about the incidents after the game and offered his opinion of VAR:
“I love football and I thought I was going to love VAR, that was my initial feeling. I love the truth… playing for three minutes and then after three minutes, the VAR gives a penalty, then if it’s a penalty no problem. We can wait 10 minutes. I just want the truth.
“I thought I was going to love VAR the way I love goal-line technology. I love goal-line technology because there is no mistake. The VAR has too many mistakes, too many.”
The win against Manchester City gives Mourinho’s Tottenham Hotspurs a glimmer of hope of finishing in the top four. Former Manchester United gaffer Mourinho’s side have moved into fifth place above Manchester United, Wolverhampton Wanderers, and Sheffield United and are just four points behind Frank Lampard’s Chelsea.
