In a painful evening at Craven Cottage, Spurs experienced their earliest exit from the Carabao Cup in nearly two decades. On Tuesday night, Tottenham suffered a 5-3 defeat in a penalty shootout, marking their first competitive loss in the Ange Postecoglou era. The crucial moment came as Marek Rodak saved Davinson Sanchez’s spot-kick.
The aftermath of this defeat will likely prompt questions regarding Postecoglou’s team selection. Despite a promising start to their Premier League campaign, Tottenham made nine changes, an unexpected decision considering the absence of European football. This loss squandered a valuable opportunity for the north London team to break their 15-year trophy drought this season.
Interestingly, Richarlison’s season might find a resurgence following his first goal in the second half, expertly heading in Ivan Perisic’s cross to counterbalance Micky van de Ven’s own goal in the first half. This unfortunate own goal marked van de Ven’s second such incident in just four appearances for Tottenham, and it was initiated by Tom Cairney’s cross.
Ultimately, Fulham emerged victorious, with Kenny Tete delivering the decisive winning penalty. Fulham’s progression to the third-round draw on Wednesday night leaves Tottenham to reflect on their unexpected Carabao Cup elimination.
