José Mourinho Bites Back at Ole Gunnar Solskjaer After Goalposts Dig
By Tom Gott
It's been a hectic few days for Tottenham Hotspur boss José Mourinho, and it all began when he had to get the goalposts changed in Spurs' Europa League victory over Shkëndija after complaining that they were too small.
Mourinho and his team noticed that Shkëndija's goals were 5cm too small and managed to get them changed, and it was obviously the right thing to do as Spurs managed to pick up a 3-1 victory.
However, that wasn't the end of all the goalpost fun. Over at Manchester United, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side escaped with three points in their recent win over Brighton, during which the Seagulls hit the woodwork no less than five times, and Solskjaer took the chance to have a little laugh about the situation at Mourinho's expense.
"You have to be happy José is not here to measure the goalposts," Solskjaer told BT Sport after the match.
That prompted a response from Mourinho, who was surprised to see United laughing after they needed a controversial late penalty - one so late it came after the initial final whistle - to survive against a side who narrowly avoided relegation last season.
"No, because I know the goalposts are fine, Mourinho told Sky Sports (via the Daily Mail). "I think Ole yesterday was so happy and surprised with what happened to his team that he had a joke, but I understand that for him the dimensions of the goalpost are not important.
"For him, what is important is the dimensions of the 18-yard box. He would never accept to play with a 17-yard box I think he would prefer a 22-yard box. For him would be better."
Was Mourinho done there? Oh no.
The Portuguese boss' frustration boiled over after Spurs were on the wrong end of their own penalty controversy in their 1-1 draw with Newcastle United. After the game, Mourinho stormed down the tunnel and goalkeeping coach Nuno Santos was shown a red card after expressing his frustration.
"The only thing that I know is that I'm more experienced than Nuno and I left down the tunnel when the referee blew the whistle for the last time," he said (via the Evening Standard). "I know that in some matches at some clubs, even after the last whistle, it's possible for something important to happen.
"But for us I knew that after the last whistle it was over for us and I left for the dressing room. So Nuno [was] a little bit more naive than me and he stayed there."