Antonio Conte delivers furious monologue following VAR controversy

Tottenham Hotspur head coach Antonio Conte left his post-match press conference having answered just one question in the aftermath of their controversial 1-1 draw with Sporting CP on Wednesday.

Spurs would have secured qualification to the last 16 of the Champions League as group winners with a win and one game remaining had they emerged victorious.

They fell behind to a goal from former Tottenham academy graduate Marcus Edwards, before rallying back in the second half and finding a late equaliser through Rodrigo Bentancur.

In the final seconds of stoppage time, Harry Kane thought he had won it, but after a three-minute VAR check, his goal was chalked off for offside, though replays from certain angles brought this call into question.

Conte was sent off in the aftermath of this decision for his protests, and speaking to the media after the game, he detailed his fury in one single tirade.

"At the end because all the people come into the pitch and then the referee decided to send me off. Only for this. I think there are moments that maybe you can be a bit intelligent to understand you have just disallowed a regular goal because the goal was regular. The ball is in front of Kane. And then the VAR..." he said.

"I repeat, you know I don't comment on referee decision but the VAR this season, I don't know why between Premier League and Champions League, we are not so lucky. I don't know why until now we are also the only team who repeated the penalty and every penalty I go to see, if the keeper move on line, I see a lot of the time. I want to see repetition of a penalty in Premier League. I think we are not so lucky with VAR but I think they create big damage.

"I would like to see if this type of decision you can take with a top team, in an important game, yeah I would like to see if VAR is so brave to take this decision. I repeat this unfair decision because the ball is in front of Kane. Sorry, but I am really upset because sometimes you can accept this situation and sometimes I think it is not good because I don't see honesty in this type of situation and when I see this I become really, really upset.

"For the game we played first half [Spurs played] with low intensity and Sporting deserve to stay 1-0 up and at the end of the game after our second half I think we deserved to get three points. Now for this decision we have to wait to the last game against Marseille and I repeat this decision, yeah, creates big damage."

Tottenham will qualify as group winners with a win at Marseille next week, while a draw would be enough to secure progression.