Parker and Mourinho on VAR, Spurs' victory over a frustrated Fulham, and Dele Alli's return

Scott Parker says VAR is killing the emotion in football - even if he feels it was technically correct in ruling out his side's equaliser against Spurs on Thursday night.

The Fulham boss felt his team were hard done by overall in losing 1-0 at the Cottage to an own goal midway through the first half and his frustration was compounded by the feeling that the handball call against Mario Lemina which cancelled a goal from Josh Maja was harsh on his side.

He said it also typified the sort of intervention that is ruining the game.

"I'm not going to complain - that's the rule," said Fulham's head coach.

"If it hits your arm it gets disallowed. I don't know what he can physically do. Probably a bit of common sense needs to prevail in that rule but I'm not saying it's not the right decision because by the rule it is correct.

"But we are trying to make the game so pure, so sterile, and trying to control every single phase or moment to an absolute T and that's where the problem lies for me. What do we want to see as fans, as spectators is goals, excitement and I'm sorry to say that VAR is killing every bit of that.

"No longer do you celebrate a goal because you're hanging on, thinking it might be disallowed. You are losing the raw emotion of the game we absolutely love."

Parker added: "We fully deserved something out of it. The endeavour was there for all to see."

"We didn't take the game to them enough in the first half but I thought we were fantastic second half - our endeavour, the way we moved the ball. We were dynamic in moments trying to get ourselves back in the game and we should have got something out it in the end. But overall, a first class performance from us.

"We've played against a fantastic team, with arguably the best front three in the division and if you didn't [know] how the two teams are and where they are placed, you wouldn't suggest that was the case.

"There's constant belief here that we'll get results with performances like that."

Jose Mourinho said: "It was a tough game. They play very well, they don't score many but they don't concede many either.

"We had chances to kill it and we didn't and then the game becomes very similar to what we have had in other games.

"It was an important win, of course. We need points. We were the team that had the best chances and good control in the last 10-15 minutes - control that we lost in the middle of the second half."

The Spurs boss gave Dele Alli a first league start since the opening day of the season and said the player deserved it.

"It was not a gift," Mourinho said. "It was a consequence of his work since he came back to the team and becoming fully fit and ready to play.

"He was giving us important things. He did very well in the Europa League. He did very very well every minute that he was on the pitch coming from the bench against West Ham, against Burnley.

"We have eight players for attacking positions and I like them all, so [who plays] depends on the moment. Depends on the feelings, on the match plan and on the accumulation of matches. In this moment, the squad is working really well."