Ange Postecoglou was disappointed with the slow start his side made as Spurs were knocked out of the Carabao Cup at Fulham.
Spurs lost 5-3 on penalties after a 1-1 draw at Craven Cottage, with the tie heading to a shootout after Richarlison’s headed equaliser had cancelled out an unfortunate Micky van de Ven own goal, which had handed Fulham the lead.
Spurs struggled to impose themselves on the game with Fulham creating the better chances in normal time, before Davinson Sanchez’s missed penalty in the shootout saw Postecoglou’s side crash out.
The Australian was disappointed with the result as Spurs exited early, admitting his team were ‘never totally in control of the game’.
“It’s a disappointing outcome for us, obviously, being knocked out,” Postecoglou told the club’s official website.
“We started pretty slowly, which wasn’t a total surprise considering the changes I made to the team, a lot of these boys haven’t played a lot of football recently.
“I like the fact we hung in there, that we showed some character and personality. I thought we got into the game and had our moments, but, away from home against a Premier League team, you need to take those moments in a cup game, we didn’t, and unfortunately, we miss out on penalties.
“We were never totally in control of the game, I don’t think they were, either. It was a typical cup game where both teams had their moments. In those situations, you need to take them.
“I thought the lads, on a difficult night, showed some real character and we’re going to need that. It’s not just about the football, the character we show, the personality we show when things get tough. I liked the way we hung on in there.
“For us, the dressing room, disappointed, but resilient. We have to take these knocks, get up and go again on Saturday.”
