Tottenham Hotspur suffered a major blow in their bid to finish in the top four in Premier League this season after being handed an embarrassing 3-1 defeat by Sheffield United on Thursday. Adding more insult, the Spurs found themselves in the receiving end of a controversial VAR decision as well.

Sander Berge, Lys Mousset and Oli McBurnie were on the scoresheet for Sheffield at the empty Bramall, while Harry Kane restored some pride for his team in the last minutes.

The Jose Mourinho-managed team find themselves in a genuine position to miss out on Champions League football next season. They sit nine points behind fourth-placed Chelsea and seven shy of fifth-placed Manchester United.

For Sheffield United, on the other hand, it was their first win in five matches since the return of Premier League after the COVID-19 hiatus. The win resulted in them moving two points above Spurs and keeping their hopes of qualifying for European action next season alive.

In a match that was highlighted by sloppy defending from Tottenham players, the home team took the lead in the 31st minute when Berge combined with Chris Basham before firing his low shot into the far corner.

Tottenham had an equaliser within two minutes through a strike from their captain, but VAR called off Kane’s effort. The review found that Lucas Moura had touched the ball with his hand while dealing with several Sheffield United players before assisting Kane.

The decision left the Tottenham players fuming, while Mourinho did everything to express his displeasure from the sidelines. The Portuguese manager’s mood further worsened when already-booked Sheffield midfielder Oli Norwood escaped a red card for elbowing Son Heung-Min.

The home team extended their lead in the 69th minute when Den Osborn, who was making his first Premier League start, found Enda Stevens. He then unmarked Mousset who drilled the ball into the back of the Spurs net from close-range for his first goal since December.

McBurnie took the game beyond the visitors’ reach when he tapped in from Berge’s cross in the 84th minute to raise some serious questions about Tottenham backline.

Meanwhile, Kane’s 199th career club goal in the 90th minute was far too late to avoid a painful defeat.