SPURS GAVE UP GOOD POSITION: POSTECOGLOU

Aussie's second-season claim in jeopardy after League Cup drubbing by Liverpool

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Tottenham Hotspur manager Ange Postecoglou said in 2024 that he always wins something in his second season, but Liverpool made that assertion sound hollow after a League Cup semi-final thrashing on Feb 6.

Taking a 1-0 first-leg lead to Anfield, Spurs were mercilessly crushed 4-0 to exit 4-1 on aggregate and without a single shot on target all night.

Tottenham still have the FA Cup and the Europa League to maintain the Australian's record, but both will be a challenge for a side battling a lengthening injury list.

There will be little time to rest as well, with a trip to Aston Villa in the FA Cup on Feb 9, for a club whose only silverware this century was the 2008 League Cup.

"We have given up a good opportunity tonight and we cannot shy away from that," Postecoglou, who took over at Spurs in 2023, told BBC radio. "We were in a good position to get to the final." Liverpool, the holders and record 10-time winners now heading for their 15th League Cup final and third in four years, were relentless and simply too good.