'VAR were having tea' - Mourinho blasts decision not to send Robertson

Jose Mourinho accused VAR officials of failing to follow the game after Andy Robertson committed a gruesome-looking tackle on debutant Japhet Tanganga as Liverpool won 1-0 at Tottenham in the Premier League on Saturday.

Marauding full-back Robertson lost control of the ball deep inside the Tottenham half in the 66th minute at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium before attempting to atone for his mistake with a wild tackle on the covering Tanganga.

Viewers were astonished as the Scotland defender did not even concede a foul for the studs-up challenge on the Spurs youngster's ankle.

The ferocity of the reckless lunge that smashed into Tanganga's ankle left Robertson's fellow defender in agony on the turf and the Reds star clutching his leg as Tottenham players appealed to the officials to take action.

Offering a withering assessment of the incident in his post-match interview, Mourinho told Sky Sports that Liverpool were 'lucky', adding: 'They could perfectly have finished the game with ten [players].

'The VAR, at that time, they were having a tea and they didn't watch Robertson for a red card.'

Referee Martin Atkinson opted not to award a foul and no VAR check in order to review the brutal collision.

VAR officials watch the live action remotely and are allowed to stop matches when they spot potential fouls and infringements.

The angry Portuguese compared the situation to the VAR check that took place when Son Heung-min was sent off after his foul on Antonio Rudiger was reviewed during Spurs' 2-0 home defeat to Chelsea on December 22.