Former Liverpool centre-back Jamie Carragher has accused Tottenham Hotspur's players of "bottling" their Carabao Cup final defeat to Manchester City on Sunday afternoon.
Spurs were beaten 1-0 in front of 8,000 fans at Wembley as a late header from City defender Aymeric Laporte clinched a fourth successive Carabao Cup triumph for Pep Guardiola's charges.
Although City left it late to get the job done, the victory was nothing more than what they deserved, dominating the game from the first whistle and failing to convert a whole host of chances that came their way.
Defeat for Spurs, who entered the contest under the stewardship of caretaker boss Ryan Mason following Jose Mourinho's sacking last week, means that their wait for a trophy continues, meaning by the time they get the opportunity to lift another one it will be 14 years since they last added one to their trophy cabinet.
With their wait for silverware forced to continue, Carragher has hit out at the current set of Spurs players, insisting they "lack courage" and their current troubles have nothing to do with Mason.
Carragher told Sky Sports' Monday Night Football: "This is nothing to do with Ryan Mason at all. This is a group of players that really lack courage and basically bottled it in the final.
"Forget losing, you weren't expecting them to win against Man City. It is how they went about it.
"A lot of people talk about what if Jose had been in charge. Yes, it was a strange decision.
"In this job I do, a lot of people and other pundits say: 'Typical Spurs. Spursy. They're weak.'
"I fight against that and the reason being is because I think it is lazy punditry, I do, because in the job I have been doing I have seen some brilliant Spurs teams. They haven't won the league or the Champions League, but if I am being totally honest I haven't really expected them to.
"But I think what I saw under [Mauricio] Pochettino for three or four years was outstanding. What I saw under Harry Redknapp for two or three years was outstanding as well."
Spurs' defeat to City means that they have now lost their last four cup finals, dating all the way back to 2009. And it is that kind of record that, according to Carragher, means that it is impossible for the club to shake off its current criticisms.
"But when Spurs fans get upset... the reason people speak about them in them terms is because the last three or four cup finals they have been involved in is because of games like this," added the Sky Sports pundit. "In those last four cup finals they haven't scored a goal.
"And this type of performance is why they are stuck with this tag. I can't argue for them and Spurs fans can't argue for them on the back of this performance.
"It is on the players, nothing to do with the manager."
