Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou has delivered his assessment after his side’s 2-1 Premier League defeat to Aston Villa on Sunday.
Spurs went ahead in the 22nd minute when a deflected strike from Giovani Lo Celso sailed past Emiliano Martinez and into the net.
However, Villa were able to level on the stroke of half time through defender Pau Torres.
And Unai Emery’s side secured all three points after a goal from Ollie Watkins, with the striker netting his 12th goal of the season in the process.
Postecoglou has now spoken to the BBC after the fixture.
And the Australian has admitted he is proud of the way his players performed, despite yet another disappointing Premier League result.
“I’m disappointed for the fans and the players because their play was outstanding today,” he said.
“The football we played was as good as it’s been all season.
“All you can ask for is that the guys give their all so there’s no frustration, just disappointment that they didn’t get what they deserved.”
Tottenham suffered a blow during the first half when Rodrigo Bentancur was forced off with injury.
The midfielder, who has only recently returned from an issue with his ACL, came off after a crunching tackle from Matty Cash.
And Postecoglou has admitted he thought Cash’s tackle ‘wasn’t great’, adding: “I’m disappointed for him because I don’t think it was a great tackle.
“That’s what we’re going through at the moment but if we keep playing like that we’ll get through it.”
MATTY CASH halted Tottenham’s momentum in that game; his rash tackle on Rodrigo Bentancur marked the beginning of Spurs’ downfall last weekend.
The team struggled to maintain control in midfield, leading to difficulties in linking up play with the forwards, and the impact had an emotional effect on the squad, creating vulnerabilities through the middle that Villa could exploit.
With a fully fit Rodrigo Bentancur on the pitch for the entire 90 minutes, Ange Postecoglou and the team could have easily secured three points. The boss is well aware of this, evident in his criticism of Matty Cash for the deliberate tackle.
Before the game, Tottenham paid tribute to former boss Terry Venables – who died at the age of 80 earlier on Sunday.
Postecoglou paid tribute to the former Tottenham boss, who died after a battle with illness.
“He embodies, more than anyone else, what his club is about. It’s not just about wins or losses but the way you carry yourself and approach the game.”
In a separate interview with Sky Sports, the Tottenham boss continued: “A tough outcome but I couldn’t be happier with the way the boys played.
“I’m really proud of them, I thought we played some fantastic football and on another day we would’ve won comfortably.
“I can’t fault the effort they put into the game.
“There’s no frustration. We played well and as a manager that’s all you can ask for.
“Sometimes the outcomes don’t go the way you want but as a manager I want the players committed to what we are trying to do and they were all totally committed.
“On another day we would’ve had a few goals but it was a combination of outstanding goalkeeping and woodwork.
“From my perspective, all I can ask is what they gave.
“The players played an outstanding game of football and as a manager that’s all we can ask for.”
Tottenham are next in action against Manchester City next Sunday (4.30pm).
Villa, meanwhile, lock horns with Legia Warsaw in the Europa League on Thursday night (8pm).