Tottenham arrived on Merseyside with what was a fine opportunity to end their 17-year trophy drought.
They held a one-goal aggregate lead against Liverpool and pressure on boss Ange Postecoglou looked to have subsided somewhat after wins against Brentford and Elfsborg following a run of only three wins in 10 games.
But the visitors looked edgy from the first whistle. The full throttle, all-out attacking style that has become synonymous with Spurs under Postecoglou was nowhere to be seen.
Tottenham spent much of the match sat deep in their own half, having to defend waves of Liverpool attacks with just 35.9% possession of the ball and failure to register a single shot on target in the 90 minutes, the first time that has ever happened under Postecoglou.
They looked lacklustre in what was a poor showing for a semi-final and questions will once again be raised about the club’s management, ownership and ambition.
Protests have been directed at the club’s owner Daniel Levy in recent weeks but Spurs did bring in reinforcements in the January transfer window and this performance once again brings into sharp focus Postecoglou’s future at the club.
To further rub salt in the wound, Postecoglou could find himself with more injury problems after Richarlison went to ground clutching his calf and immediately smacked the Anfield turf in frustration.
The Brazilian, who was not shown much sympathy from the home supporters as a former Evertonian, was replaced by Spurs’ new 19-year-old forward Mathys Tel, making his debut following a deadline day move from Bayern Munich.
It compounds a severe injury crisis for Spurs, who were already missing 10 first-team players.
While Tottenham remain in contention in the Europa League, they will undoubtedly see this as an opportunity missed and a disappointing effort.
