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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
Sport
Ben Burrows

Tottenham’s Serge Aurier left stadium after being substituted following heated half-time row

Photograph: Getty Images

Tottenham defender Serge Aurier stormed out of the stadium after being substituted at half-time of the defeat to Liverpool on Thursday night.

Spurs went into the interval behind after Roberto Firmino's injury time goal just before the break.

The manner of the opener - a ball across the box for the Brazilian to tap in from close range - is understood to have caused heated discussions between players in the home dressing room.

Jose Mourinho's decision to then remove the Ivorian before the second-half prompted him to leave the stadium altogether.

It remains to be seen whether the club take any further action.

"It was the mood of team that was difficult to accept you are losing," Mourinho said afterwards of the half-time drama.

"It's difficult to accept the nature of the goal because the goal is in some aspects a replica of the chance they had in the first minute.

"So it's, of course, a mood where people is not happy."

Tottenham went on to lose the match 3-1 with Trent Alexander-Arnold and Sadio Mane adding further goals with only a Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg strike in reply.

To make matters worse talismanic striker Harry Kane appears set for a spell on the sidelines after picking up knocks to both of his ankles in the first-half.

"For Harry to leave a game, when he wants to play always and with the team losing, for Harry to come out is not a nothing injury," Mourinho said.

"It's an injury. For how long I can't tell you, I don't know. We have to wait and see."

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