Spurs out 'I enjoyed it' - Jose Mourinho struggles to sum up his feelings after 5-4 defeat at Everton

Tottenham Hotspur manager Jose Mourinho leaves the pitch after the Emirates FA Cup fifth round match at Goodison Park, Liverpool. Picture date: Wednesday February 10, 2021. PA Photo. See PA story SOCCER Everton. Photo credit should read: Martin Rickett/PA Wire. RESTRICTIONS: EDITORIAL USE ONLY No use with unauthorised audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or "live" services. Online in-match use limited to 120 images, no video emulation. No use in betting, games or single club/league/player publications.

Sunday World

February 10 2021 11:30 PM

Tottenham manager Jose Mourinho has been accused of promoting negative football in recent years, but that barb was parked in the Goodison Park car park as his side crashed out of the FA Cup after a thrilling 5-4 defeat.

Everton reached the quarter-finals for the first time since 2016 after a thrilling 5-4 extra-time win over Tottenham at Goodison Park.

Bernard, who looked destined to leave the club less than a fortnight ago, scored the decisive goal seven minutes into the added period to overshadow the efforts of opposing substitute Harry Kane.

The England striker came off the bench to make it 4-4 in the 83rd minute with his 209th goal in 318 appearances in all competitions, taking him past Bobby Smith to become second-highest scorer in Spurs’ history behind only Jimmy Greaves (266 in 379).

Kane could not get his side over the line, however, as that honour went to the out-of-favour Brazilian whose transfer window move to Dubai-based Al Nasr fell through.

It was the culmination of a game totally unbefitting the style of managers Carlo Ancelotti and Jose Mourinho, both of whom have built their success on being defensively sound.

Richarlison netted twice for the hosts, with Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Gylfi Sigurdsson also on target while Davinson Sanchez, with one goal in his previous 137 games, also scored two in addition to Erik Lamela and Kane.

Everton went from 1-0 down to 3-1 up in the space of seven minutes and 26 seconds just before half-time but defensive frailties saw them pegged back to 3-3 and then eventually 4-4.

So when Bernard steered home a superbly-executed chip from Sigurdsson the reaction of Ancelotti, who once saw his mighty AC Milan side concede a 3-0 half-time lead in a Champions League final, was merely just to blow on his hot coffee.

"I enjoyed it - and I didn't enjoy it. I enjoyed the way we played with the ball," declared Mourinho.

"We created, we had great movement, we scored goals, created chances. Showed great character to fight against incredible mistakes. But attacking football only wins matches when you don't make more mistakes than you create. We scored four goals and it was not enough.

"It hurts everyone. The feeling is we played really well with the ball, we were brave, we were the best team at 1-0 and in five minutes it was mistake, mistake, mistake, goal, goal, goal.

"We fought back again but had more mistakes. It was the mouse and the cat. The mouse was our mistakes and the cat was us trying to compensate for that."

Tottenham still have the Carabao Cup final against Manchester City to look forward to in April, but Mourinho's hopes of winning the FA Cup for the first time since 2007 are over for another year.