Tottenham Hotspur were accused of having less of a threat than Accrington Stanley as they meekly lost their Carabao Cup semi-final to Liverpool.

Arne Slot’s side over-turned a 1-0 deficit from the first leg to run out emphatic 4-1 winners and set up a final against Newcastle United.

Afterwards Spurs came in for severe criticism, led by former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher, who claimed League Two Accrington had put up more of a fight than Ange Postecoglou’s side.

“I am not saying this to make a headline,” Carragher said while laying the blame on Postecoglou and his “horrendous” record.

“I think Accrington Stanley (who lost by the same 4-0 scoreline in the FA Cup last month) gave more trouble to Liverpool than Tottenham.”

Postecoglou responded by saying that pundits – including former Spurs and Liverpool midfielder Jamie Redknapp who was also working for Sky Sports – were entitled to their views. But he did accuse his team of lacking bravery and admitted Liverpool were “too good for us”.

“People are on TV to give opinions and that’s what they do. That’s their job,” he said. “My job is to manage this football club and whatever people think or don’t think is kind of irrelevant.”

Postecoglou was also strong in his criticism of his side. “We definitely needed to be braver with and without the ball,” he said. “It’s easier said than done in a place like this. I guess it’s a very good Liverpool team in a good spell of form and very settled. It’s what we needed to do and we didn’t do it.

“We were way too passive in terms of our football... I think it is a lesson there for us. We cannot shy away from the football that we want to play.

“It’s fair to say we didn’t get to the levels we needed to tonight. It was also a great challenge for us, but for us to give ourselves an opportunity, we had to be more aggressive.

“It’s disappointing. It was a great opportunity for us to get to a final and we didn’t take that opportunity. Not to give ourselves the chance was more disappointing.

It’s not the fact we came here and lost, it’s difficult for anyone to come here. But I would have liked us to play more like who we are.”

Spurs did not even have a shot on target.

“We shied away from the challenge a little bit,” Postecoglou added. “They were the better team. We just weren’t able to get a grip in any part of the game defensively or with the ball. They were too good for us… We had a great opportunity, but unfortunately we didn’t grab it.”

The final will be Arne Slot’s first chance to win a first piece of silverware at Liverpool – and retain the trophy won last season under Jurgen Klopp, the last of his tenure.

“We are in the business to play finals, although we already know how difficult that final will be as we play Newcastle,” Slot said before adding that, although the League Cup may not be a priority, he will “never take a final for granted”.

Liverpool captain Virgil Van Dijk added: “We’re looking forward to it. I will lead the boys in the best possible way, I am always proud and these days are special.”

Carragher asks ‘when do Tottenham ever win a big game?’

By Mike McGrath

Jamie Carragher accused Ange Postecoglou’s team of failing to show up in the second leg of the tie with a Wembley final against Newcastle United in sight.

“He’s a manager who is just trying to find something and what he’s trying is not working,” said Carragher, working as a pundit on Sky Sports. “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.

‘Spurs never shock you, never do something out of the ordinary’

“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 [of] Liverpool, they’re at Anfield, they’re the best team in the country, possibly the best team in Europe right now. But 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.

“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 show 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.”