Mauricio Pochettino was bitter after Tottenham Hotspur tossed aside a 2-0 home lead and a berth in the League Cup quarterfinals.
Andre Ayew scored twice and Angelo Ogbonna headed home a winner for West Ham, all goals coming in a 15-minute span, to send the Wembley Stadium crowd away unhappy.
[ RECAP: Spurs 2-3 West Ham ]
Pochettino wasn’t trying to put shine on the performance, as Spurs were very much in control of the match at the break to the point where anyone who checked out will be bewildered at the final score.
The manager says, frankly, Spurs were too full of themselves.“That can’t happen. When you are not on the same mental level it is difficult. The opponent had nothing to lose, they started to believe and we started to suffer. Maybe we thought the job was done. The second half was not the same and it is difficult to accept.
“After Real Madrid and Liverpool it was difficult to keep the motivation and concentration. We must be more mature at 2-0 up, that is disappointing. It is not good to lose, always, I am not happy.”
With neither Harry Kane nor Christian Eriksen in the Starting XI, Spurs still looked capable of coasting to a win. The problem is they tried to coast, and a desperate Hammers unit punished them.
The reasoning is understandable, even if it’s surprising Pochettino was so up front about it. Old Trafford is next on Saturday, and now two stung teams will enter the stadium.