Ange Postecoglou’s theorem his job is more difficult than that of the prime minister may have been tinged with exaggeration, but his players did everything in their power to support his argument in another chaotic evening with Tottenham’s greats.
Spurs eventually beat United with a 4-3 win to advance to the last four, but that result barely resembles an extraordinary evening at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium – or some might say ordinary, given their previous form of chaos.
In the build-up to the Carabao Cup quarter-final against Manchester United, Postecoglou said: “This job is the hardest in any walk of life. How many times does Keir Starmer have elections? I have them every weekend and I either get upvoted or downvoted.”
As for the elections, Postecoglou was leading 3-0 after 54 minutes, but ultimately had to settle for a narrow majority.
It came after goalkeeper Fraser Forster gifted United two goals, Son Heung-min’s fourth goal provided some relief in a panic-stricken stadium and Jonny Evans’ third goal for United restored the tension in the final seconds.
The most important slogan of Postecoglou’s manifesto is all-round entertainment at full speed – and thanks to this he keeps every word of his promises.
– Don’t you find this amusing? he asked after a night that was pure theater, a mixture of high quality and farce, but which also saw Spurs reach Wembley and still be fighting for their first trophy since winning the competition in 2008.
Entertaining? Certainly. And Spurs fans who have drifted off, staring at the brink of exhaustion, will likely agree once their blood pressure returns to normal levels.
