The first chants of 'we want Levy out' were heard long before the implosion that condemned Spurs to their final defeat. The home fans expressed their dissatisfaction early in the first half. What happened later only increased the volume.
It was of course the controversial Ange Postecoglou who stood in front of the cameras afterwards. That is the fate of the head coach. But he is not the main target of the home fans' anger. Chairman Daniel Levy is the man in the line of fire.
Levy, of course, transformed the club during his tenure, taking Spurs to their beautiful new stadium and overhauling the infrastructure. But on the pitch, fans feel like they are seeing the same old problems. A culture of underachievement persists.
The dissatisfaction is not new, but recent events have brought it into sharp focus. Spurs are on a run of one win from twelve Premier League games. In total, they have lost 13 of 23 this season. Only Leicester, Wolves and Southampton have tasted defeat more often. Those teams are involved in a relegation battle. Spurs, who are in 15th place, could now be too.
They have been ravaged by injuries, with James Maddison the latest player to be sidelined and on an absent list stretching into double figures. And yet, almost four weeks into the January transfer window, their only senior signing is 21-year-old goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky.
“The players need help,” Postecoglou said at his press conference. He added that the club is “working hard” to “alleviate the problems”, but it has become a common refrain. Supporters certainly feel that way. That much was clear from the mood on the ground.
Levy can of course point to heavy investments in previous transfer periods. But even without the injuries, the team remains out of balance. Archie Gray and Lucas Bergvall have shown great promise but, along with Wilson Odobert, were signed in the summer with the future in mind.
Current issues, such as a glaring lack of defensive depth, have not been addressed and Spurs are paying a heavy price as injuries continue to pile up. Postecoglou's side have now conceded at least two goals in five consecutive Premier League games.
Postecoglou is of course not exempt from blame. His injury record is largely down to bad luck, but his relentless dedication to playing his way contributes to this. Even as the list of absentees has grown, he has continued to send his team out to play at breakneck speed.
Their intensity has been reflected in the Premier League's tracking data, which showed ahead of the weekend's matches that Spurs were the best of the Premier League clubs in both sprints and distance covered. The physical demands of Postecoglou's approach take their toll on the players.
It's a vicious circle. Without options for rotation, Postecoglou is asking more and more of those still standing. He was booed for his decision to bring Richarlison off in the second half, but insisted the striker “felt his groin” and “should have come off at half-time”. Pape Sarr, he added, should not have played at all but had to because of Maddison's absence.
The hope is that Spurs' form will improve as the injury list begins to clear up. But when asked at his press conference whether he expects to still be in place if that happens, Postecoglou was realistic. “Who knows?” he said. “A fair chunk will say no.”
And besides, the injuries don't fully explain the current problems.
Spurs are without four of their first-choice members, but they lost games even when Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven, Destiny Udogie and Guglielmo Vicario started alongside Pedro Porro earlier this season, with Arsenal, Crystal Palace and Brighton among the parties to defeat them.
They are still capable of spectacular results. Even this season they have scored four goals past Manchester City and Aston Villa. They have also beaten Liverpool and Manchester United. But the defensive openness evident in the spells against Leicester has been a theme during Postecoglou's tenure.
He then spoke again about his players' efforts and insisted they stayed behind him. “The players are committed to what we do,” he said. “When you are the manager of a football club you can feel vulnerable and isolated, I don't feel that.”
But his claim that they could achieve “something special” in the remaining months of the season felt extremely fanciful given the context. Spurs are still a long way from where they want to be, and have been that way for too long. Postecoglou is not the only one feeling the heat.
Who's to blame? What the fans say
We invited Spurs fans to comment on the side's predicament in our match blog after the match. Read on for a selection of their responses.
Spurs12345: “Not the manager's fault. How on earth can you expect Spurs to perform at the highest level with no first team selection, no financial backing and no injuries? They are doing better in the cup at the moment because the pace is slower Time Enic sells and helps the club move forward by leaving.”
Alfie: “Ange must resign to save his own career. Levy may be a good businessman but he is a shocking football club owner. Levy lures decent managers with false promises and then throws them under the bus. Ange is not guilty my opinion.”
James: “Ange has to go, his system is flawed and he is too stubborn to change it. The team structure is such that any disruption in the game provides huge space for each team to attack. Levy and the board are the biggest problem at Spurs, but Ange will bring Spurs down.”
Lee said: “The squad was never going to be resilient enough to compete in Europe and the Premier League. But this drop in form is ridiculous and something has to change or we will sleepwalk into the Championship.”
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