In a devastating turn of events at Anfield, Tottenham Hotspur suffered a humiliating 4-0 defeat to Liverpool in the Carabao Cup semi-final second leg, marking what many consider a new low in Ange Postecoglou's tenure. The loss, described by pundits as "abject," "damaging," and "a disgrace," saw Spurs squander their one-goal advantage from the first leg and dash their hopes of securing their first trophy in 17 years.
For the first time under Postecoglou's management, Tottenham failed to register a single shot on target, a stark departure from their typically attacking style of play. Former Tottenham midfielder Jamie Redknapp expressed his disbelief on Sky Sports, stating, "I cannot get my head around not having one shot on target in the semi-final. They were so abject. I cannot remember a team in my lifetime go down with less of a fight than Tottenham did today."
The statistics paint a grim picture of Tottenham's performance. While they average 13.9 shots per 90 minutes this season, with 5.6 on target, they managed just five shots with none finding the target at Anfield. The disparity in attacking presence was evident, with Spurs recording only eight touches in the opposition box compared to Liverpool's 55, and completing just 41 successful passes in the final third against Liverpool's 147.
Adding to Tottenham's woes, their injury crisis continues to deepen. With 10 first-team players already sidelined, Richarlison's first-half withdrawal due to a calf injury could increase that number to 11. The absence of key players like James Maddison in midfield and attacking options Dominic Solanke and Brennan Johnson has severely limited their offensive capabilities.
Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher delivered a scathing assessment of Spurs' midfield performance, calling it "a disgrace" and criticizing their lack of aggression. He also addressed a deeper issue, stating, "It goes back to that stereotype we all have with Tottenham. There's definitely a mental block with the club. Right now, that is a typical Tottenham team... they're nice on the eye when things are going well, but they never win a big game and when they get beat, they get beat badly."
Postecoglou, who has historically found success in his second seasons with clubs, acknowledged the missed opportunity. "We have given up a good opportunity tonight and we cannot shy away from that," he admitted. "We were in a good position to get to the final."
Despite this setback, there remains a glimmer of hope for Tottenham's trophy aspirations. The club has reached the last 16 of the Europa League, where Opta's supercomputer ranks them as second favorites with a 15% chance of winning the competition, behind only Lazio at 19%.
However, with challenging fixtures ahead against Manchester United, Ipswich, and Manchester City, Postecoglou faces mounting pressure to turn things around. The manager's post-match comments reflected the team's struggles: "Liverpool deserved the victory. They were the far better team - we were not able to get a grip of the game. We allowed them to get into the game and we were not as aggressive as we needed to be."
