Jose Mourinho’s unhappiness with Michael Oliver continued after the VAR official opted not to give his Tottenham side a penalty in the 0-0 draw with Bournemouth.
Mourinho was openly critical of Oliver’s decision to rule out Lucas Moura’s goal at Sheffield United last week and the same man decided against giving Spurs an early spot-kick at the Vitality Stadium.
Harry Kane looked to be clearly pushed in the back by Josh King, but referee Paul Tierney was unmoved and Oliver chose not to intervene.
Mourinho said “everyone in the world” knew it was a penalty except the man who will also referee Tottenham’s next game with Arsenal on Sunday.
“The game had the most important moment – you know when, you know who – and I don’t want to say anything more in relation to that because everyone knows and I don’t need to say much more. Everybody knows,” Mourinho said on Sky Sports.
“The same referee that was the VAR against Sheffield United. In the world, everybody knows that is a penalty. And I say everybody, I mean everybody.
“It’s not just my opinion, everyone in the world, everybody knows that is a penalty. And when I say everybody, I say everybody, everybody.
“I am not saying that Harry Kane scores 100 per cent of his penalties, but it is very very high.
“Normally at minute five we would be winning 1-0 against a team in trouble, I think the game would be completely different.
“Like Sheffield, the man of the match was not one of the players. But at Sheffield I could blame myself and the players, today I could not do that.”
Spurs could have done with the tonic of an early goal as they were utterly toothless for the rest of the game, failing to have a shot on target against a team who had conceded nine goals in their last two games.
Ironically, it was Oliver who saved them from losing the game as the VAR official correctly ruled out Callum Wilson’s late goal after it flicked King’s hand on the way into the bottom corner.
A goalless draw does little to help Tottenham’s Europa League hopes, which could effectively be over if they lose to Arsenal on Sunday.
“The performance was not good enough, but good enough to win,” Mourinho added. “I am not saying a strong performance or a sharp one but good enough to win.
“In a way they surprised us with the way they played, since Bournemouth were in the Premier League I don’t remember them playing the way they did, but that is an option for them because they have a point they wanted.
“But I think we were not sharp, we were dominant behind, it was an easy game behind but then lack of sharpness in attacking areas.
“I made changes, I think the changes helped improve the game in the last part of the game, but we didn’t score goals and you don’t win when you don’t score goals.”
Although the Cherries thought they were celebrating all three points, the draw does at least stop a run of four defeats since the resumption.
“I think it is a point gained, with the run we have been on coming into this game, I think it is a good point,” Eddie Howe said.
“When that goes in at the end you think we might have won it, there were moments there for us.
“Our players have given everything in that match. And that is going to be what we need if we are going to stay up.
“Our hat is still in the ring, we are still in there and we won’t quit until the end. We are so unlucky not to come away with three points.”
The game was held up for eight minutes while Adam Smith received treatment on a head injury which left him briefly out cold.
But Howe revealed he was OK and talking.
“Adam Smith is sitting up and talking,” Howe added. “He has a nasty bump on his head but he is OK.
“I have spoken to him, he is sitting up and he is talking to me. As for what actually happened I don’t know.”
