Ange Postecoglou hailed Tottenham Hotspur’s “progress” as they secured a dramatic 4-3 victory over Manchester United to reach the semi-finals of the Carabao Cup, despite being severely depleted by injuries. The win marked the first semi-final appearance of Postecoglou’s tenure at Spurs. And the manager expressed his pride in the team’s resilience.
“It’s one thing for me to praise them, but they need the reward of winning,” Postecoglou said. “It’s how that makes them feel that will drive them forward, and they’ll need to dig deep again.”
Tottenham will face Liverpool in a two-legged semi-final, with the first match taking place in north London in early January and the second at Anfield in February. The winner will progress to a final at Wembley, where they will meet either Arsenal or Newcastle. Postecoglou will be hopeful that his squad’s injury woes subside before the crucial matches.
Spurs were without ten senior players for the quarter-final, with Timo Werner the latest to fall ill on match day. Despite the challenges, Postecoglou was full of praise for his makeshift team’s performance.
“Scoring four goals with such a depleted squad is a huge credit to the players,” he said. “We did tire in the second half, but I am incredibly proud of their efforts.”
Tottenham’s task became more complicated after goalkeeper Fraser Forster made two uncharacteristic errors in the second half, allowing United to close the gap to 3-2. However, Postecoglou remained committed to his possession-based approach, which has been a hallmark of his managerial philosophy.
“In 26 years, I’ve seen a few of those [errors],” Postecoglou said. “But I’ve always felt the pros far outweigh the cons. We wouldn’t be the team we are if we didn’t maintain conviction in our beliefs.”
On the other hand, United head coach Ruben Amorim defended his decision to once again leave Marcus Rashford out of the match-day squad. “If I believe I’m doing the right thing for the team, it’s never a mistake,” Amorim explained. “The players who came on, like Amad Diallo and Alejandro Garnacho, changed the game.”
Amorim also claimed that his side were more in control than the scoreline suggested, but conceded that a brief lapse in the second half cost them. “We disconnected for eight minutes, and that ultimately decided the game,” he said. “We conceded a goal, and from there we needed to hold possession to calm things down. But overall, I saw a team that knows what we want to do.”
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