Tottenham Hotspur’s capitulation to Liverpool in the Carabao Cup semi-final was savaged by Sky Sports pundits, who accused them of having less threat than Accrington Stanley last month at Anfield.
Spurs failed to get a shot on target in the 4-0 second-leg defeat after trying to defend their slender first-leg lead, while League Two club Accrington forced a save from Caoimhin Kelleher during their FA Cup encounter in January.
Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher accused Ange Postecoglou’s team of failing to show up in the second leg of the tie with Wembley and a final against Newcastle United in sight.
“I am not saying this to make a headline. I think Accrington Stanley, Liverpool didn’t have their best team, but they gave more trouble to Liverpool than Tottenham tonight,” said Carragher, working as a pundit on Sky, while laying the blame on Postecoglou and his “horrendous” record.
“He’s a manager who is just trying to find something and what he’s trying is not working. But this is not just this run. This goes back to last season. I think they’ve lost 20 out of the last 45 games. It’s an awful lot.
“We’re talking almost 50 per cent of the Premier League games he’s lost going back. This is not just this season. Tottenham had such a brilliant start to his first season – top of the league after 10 games. He continued to go with the idea even with nine men – since then the record is horrendous for Tottenham.”
Spurs had led through Lucas Bergvall’s goal from the first leg but were defensive at Anfield, allowing Arne Slot’s team back into the tie.
“It was never in doubt before the game. It’s Tottenham! When do Tottenham ever win a big game? When do Tottenham ever go and surprise, win against the odds?” added Carragher.
“The odds were massively in favour against Liverpool, they’re at Anfield, they’re the best team in the country, possibly the best team in Europe right now. But it’s not just this Spurs team. They never shock you, never do something out of the ordinary.
“I’m trying to remember the last big game they won: it was probably that semi-final against Ajax in the Champions League. I was in the stadium that night and I don’t want to take it away from Tottenham, but they were very lucky! They were battered for most of the game, it was a freak and they got two goals in the last minute.
‘Nobody ever believes they’re going to win’
“Whenever they go into a big game as a club, nobody ever believes they’re going to win. That’s not me as a Liverpool fan, those Tottenham fans there tonight – not one of them believed they were going to win and to go Wembley! They just won’t.”
Cody Gakpo, Mohamed Salah’s penalty, Dominik Szoboszlai and Virgil van Dijk secured a Wembley final for Slot in his first season in English football.
“I cannot remember a team in my lifetime go down with less of a fight with what Spurs did,” added former Spurs and Liverpool midfielder Jamie Redknapp on Sky Sports. “Not having one shot on target in the semi-final of a second leg when you’re trying to change the course of the history?
“I feel sorry for those players. I think Djed Spence played 14 different positions tonight. I’ve never seen anything like it. You have young players, you’re meant to protect them.
“Archie Gray and Bergvall, they’re young men and trying their best. But I’m looking at the experienced players today to lead and try and set the tempo. They didn’t do that one bit.
“There’s been some lows – Palace, Ipswich and Everton this season. But when you look at that today, the scoreline? Just horrendous.”
Former Spurs centre-back Michael Dawson described the defeat as “damaging”.
“It was really, really damaging that performance,” he said on Sky Sports. “I knew it was going to be a tough task but did I expect it to be like that? I thought there would be more of a fight from the players.
“It was always going to be backs against the wall but they didn’t show any character in possession, out of possession and they didn’t how any desire to keep the ball out of the back of the net.
“To come here and get beat 4-0 without any fight and without a shot on target, it’s a damaging performance.”
