‘It’s beautiful… if you want to blame someone it is me’: Jose Mourinho PRAISES his Spurs players for bust-up against Everton after Hugo Lloris confronted Son Heung-min for not tracking back – and insists ‘it was important for the team to grow up’
- Jose Mourinho has described a heated half time exchange as ‘beautiful’
- Spurs goalkeeper Hugo Lloris was seen pushing Son Heung-min at half-time
- The Frenchman was angered by Son’s lack of willingness to track back
- Mourinho said the bust up was due to him demanding more of his players
- Despite the heated exchange, Spurs went on to beat Everton 1-0 on Monday
Tottenham manager Jose Mourinho described the moment Hugo Lloris and Son Heung-min became embroiled in a furious bust-up as ‘beautiful’ as the Portuguese claimed responsibility for the heated exchange.
Sky Sports footage showed goalkeeper Lloris racing over to confront his South Korean team-mate as the north London club were leaving the field for half-time during their 1-0 win over Everton.
The Frenchman pushed the attacker and Giovani Lo Celso, Harry Winks and Moussa Sissoko had to intervene to separate the pair as they walked into the tunnel at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Spurs boss Jose Mourinho has described the moment his players had a bust-up as ‘beautiful’
Spurs stars Hugo Lloris and Son Heung-min were seen clashing at half time on Monday
Lloris raced over to confront his team-mate as the north London club were leaving the field
The Frenchman pushed the attacker and team-mates had to intervene to separate the pair
Harry Winks, Giovani Lo Celso and Moussa Sissoko intervened as the group left the pitch
Mourinho had a unique take on the fiery clash between two of his star men, saying his players are demanding more from each other.
‘It’s beautiful,’ he said after his side secured a 1-0 win. ‘Probably this is a consequence of our meetings, if you want to blame someone for that it is me.
‘I was critical of my boys because they are not critical with themselves enough. I ask them to be more demanding and be more demanding of others.
‘I ask them to call out colleagues and express that team spirit to give everything for everybody and the situation at end of the first half where an amazing kid that everyone loves in Son, a team boy, but in that situation the captain thought he had to give more.
‘I don’t know if there was any push or not, but it was important for the team to grow up. Because for the team to grow up you need to demand from each other and be strong personalities and I was really pleased. I told them at half-time that I had no doubt they would stick together until the end.’
Mourinho said the row unfolded as a result of him demanding more from his players
Despite the exchange, Spurs went on to defeat Everton 1-0 at Tottenham Hotspur stadium
Spurs captain Lloris, who was unhappy with Son’s lack of effort in tracking back when Spurs were defending, expressed guilt that the exchange unfolded on the pitch.
‘It belongs to the changing room,’ he said. ‘Outside you can say what you want but there is a lot of respect inside the changing room. What happened between me and Sonny is just part of football sometimes. There is no problem at all, you can see at the end of the game we are more than happy to be part of the team.
‘Yeah (it was in relation to him not tracking back on Richarlison’s chance). I think to concede a chance a few seconds before half-time because we don’t press properly annoys me.’
Son and Lloris were seen hugging as the players waited to re-enter the pitch on Monday night
The bust-up came as a surprise to some, as Spurs had gone into the break in the lead thanks to a Michael Keane own goal in what was an unremarkable first half.
Sky Sports commentator and Manchester United legend Gary Neville said: ‘I wish they showed that much fire on the pitch.’
Former Tottenham striker and Match of the Day presenter Gary Lineker was taken aback by the scenes, tweeting: ‘Good heavens, Son and Lloris having to be kept apart. Of all the players out there who might want to scrap, I wouldn’t have picked those two. Shows they care, I suppose.’
Sky Sports pundit Jamie Redknapp said: ‘He’s proud and there is a reaction, he doesn’t want to see Son do that. He then shouts at Son.
Lloris and Son are two key figures in the Spurs side as they look to climb the league table
‘It’s probably the most exciting thing that’s happened all half. That might be a consequence of what happened in the Sheffield United game, he didn’t make a challenge and then he runs up to him.’
As the teams re-emerged onto the playing field for the second half, cameras captured Lloris patting Son on the head and the pair shared a hug before they walked back out.
Mourinho’s side have endured a poor season by their lofty standards. Last season’s Champions League finalists crashed out of the competition having been comprehensively beaten by RB Leipzig, and are down in eighth place in the Premier League even after the win over Everton.