Ange Postecoglou insists touchline reaction to Tottenham fans was misinterpreted

Ange Postecoglou insisted his controversial cupped ear celebration to Tottenham fans in a 1-0 loss at Chelsea had been misinterpreted on another bad night for the Australian.

Spurs slipped to a 16th defeat in the Premier League this season thanks to a 50th-minute header by Enzo Fernandez, but it only told half the story of a typically frenzied London derby.

VAR was required to rule out a fine strike by Moises Caicedo five minutes after Fernandez broke the deadlock at Stamford Bridge before Postecoglou’s gesture to his own supporters after Pape Sarr had rifled in what appeared an equaliser after 69 minutes made headlines.

Postecoglou’s decision to bring off Lucas Bergvall for Sarr prompted a small section of away fans to boo and subsequently chant ‘you don’t know what you’re doing’ towards the 59-year-old, who has faced mounting scrutiny following a poor winter period amid a hefty list of injuries.

When Sarr marked his 64th-minute arrival with a long-range strike, it sparked a subdued reaction from Postecoglou, who appeared to cup his ear to the celebrating Tottenham fans before his mood turned sour when referee Craig Pawson ruled out the goal for a foul on Caicedo.

“Jesus mate, it’s incredible how things get interpreted,” Postecoglou explained.

“We’d just scored, I just wanted to hear them cheer because we’d been through a tough time and I thought it was a cracking goal. I wanted them to get really excited.

“I felt at that point we could potentially go on and win the game. I just felt momentum was on our [side].

“It doesn’t bother me, it’s not the first time they’ve booed my substitutions or my decisions, that’s fine. They’re allowed to do that, but we’d just scored a goal, just scored an equaliser, I was just hoping we