FAB FOUR DRAB VAR
Jose’s star quartet escape with lucky win
JOSE MOURINHO finally unleashed his Fab Four – and yet the talking point was VAR.
The Tottenham boss started with Harry Kane, Heung-min Son, Gareth Bale and Dele Alli for the first time and was at least rewarded with a hard-fought three points at Craven Cottage.
Yet the enjoyment of watching such an such an attacking lineup – imagine how much it hurt Mourinho to be so open – was overshadowed when the curse of video technology struck again.
Fulham boss Scott Parker was furious over the latest VAR handball shocker. That came when Josh Maja was denied what looked a perfectly good and well-deserved equaliser because in the build-up the ball hit Mario Lamina’s arm, which was by his side.
Football’s lawmakers IFAB meet today and the handball law is on the agenda. It is to be hoped they clear up the current confusion which, coupled with VAR, is taking the fun out of the game.
Fulham deserved more, Tottenham got away with one.
Refereeing controversy being discussed rather than the football has happened far too many times this season.
There is a feeling Mourinho might not play such an attacking line-up again for quite some time as it was open and, well, far too entertaining for such an arch pragmatist.
The shame of it was that another review denied Alli his first goal in nearly a year, the dubious goals panel deeming the final touch came off Fulham defender Tosin Adarabioyo.
Yet more killjoys. Why they have to intervene is anyone’s guess. Alli, starting his first Premier League game since the opening day, would have ended a barren run stretching back to March 7 last year, while
Adarabioyo is ‘credited’ with an unwanted own goal.
That goal came on 19 minutes when three of the Spurs four combined brilliantly.
Bale, Son and Alli were involved before Son put over a low cross. Alli flicked the ball towards the net and the final touch came off Adarabioyo.
Credit to Fulham who could have collapsed, particularly as Tottenham’s forward line stretched their defence to the limit in the first half.
But they refuse to give up. Incredibly, they started with seven loan
players. How Scott Parker has got them so committed for the cause is nothing short of remarkable.
They could have levelled in first-half injury time with a terrific move, Antonee Robinson weaving his way into the box before Maja set up Lemina but he fired horribly over.
Fulham kept going. Joachim Andersen had a header brilliantly tipped over by Hugo Lloris and when Maja struck on 63 minutes they celebrated an equaliser.
But VAR Peter Bankes intervened and the goal was ruled out, Lamina ruled to have handled when Davinson Sanchez’s clearance hit his arm.
Replays shown on the stadium screen prompted uproar among home players and staff.
Yet their chance was gone, with Mourinho reverting to type by replacing Alli and Bale with the more defensive minded Moussa Sissoko and Lucas Moura.