Addressing the incident, Postecoglou backed Johnson for his robust response, suggesting that Richarlison had crossed the line with his showboating. Speaking to reporters, he said: “I reckon even if you did what Richy did as a kid, someone would give you a whack! That’s just part of football. Everyone knows there’s a line.

“It’s all good. We don’t want to take all the fun out of the game. Every player knows there’s a line and if you cross that line, somebody will bring you back into line pretty quickly. Brennan did that with Richy.”