Poor second half can’t stop Tottenham’s run under Ange Postecoglou

Tottenham sits on top of the English Premier League but their Australian manager Ange Postecoglou isn’t entirely happy.

Ange Postecoglou wasn’t pleased with Tottenham’s second-half performance with the ball against Fulham. Picture: Justin Setterfield/Getty Images

Not even Tottenham’s “worst 45 minutes with the ball” this season has failed to stop Spurs boss Ange Postecoglou setting a record for new English Premier League managers.

Postecoglou’s side beat London rivals Fulham 2-0 on Tuesday morning (AEDT) courtesy of goals from star pair Son Heung-min and James Maddison to jump to the top of the table with 23 points.

It’s a record points tally after nine matches for a new EPL manager.

Not that the former Socceroos coach was in the mood for celebrating after the win at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, as he was disappointed with his team’s second-half performance.

“The second half wasn’t great for us, we didn’t play anywhere near the levels that we can with the ball,” Postecoglou told Sky Sports.

“Without the ball we were still excellent in terms of our pressing but with the ball we were just really, really wasteful.

“I said before the game that we’ve been really consistent this year, but that’s probably the worst 45 minutes with the ball we’ve had all year.”

Ange Postecoglou thanks Tottenham’s fans after Spurs’ 2-0 win over Fulham. Picture: Justin Setterfield/Getty Images

However, Postecoglou – who took charge of Spurs in the off-season after guiding Scottish giants Celtic to five trophies in two years – said it was a “good win”.

“The boys worked hard. Our work without the ball was again outstanding, as it has been all year, and that’s what won us the game,” he told Spurs’ Review Show.

“In the first half we were good. We had to be patient, Fulham were well organised so we had to bide our time a bit. We probably could have scored a couple more goals with the chances we created and put the game to bed.

“In the second half, we were … as poor as we’ve been all year to be honest.

“We’ll take the win. It’s another good win for us, but (there’s) plenty to learn.

“Don’t get me wrong, people should enjoy it. I’m grumpy because that’s just the way I am. If we want to be the team we want to be, we have to take opportunities and lessons to improve and not get sidetracked by results.

“I’m always honest with my feedback to the players. They will want to know how they’re going to get better, and we’ve got plenty of things from the second half to show them how we can.”

Spurs are back in action on Saturday morning (AEDT) when they visit Selhurst Park to meet Crystal Palace in another London derby.