On a bad night for Tottenham Hotspur this evening, manager Ange Postecoglou was hit with another blow, following an injury to Richarlison at Anfield.
The Brazilian striker went down clutching his calf just before half time in the chastening 4-0 defeat to Liverpool in the second leg of their EFL Cup semi-final.
That saw the 27-year-old forced off and replaced by new signing Mathys Tel, meaning he could be set for a lengthy spell on the sidelines for the third time this season.
Richarlison only returned in mid-January after a two-and-a-half month layoff, which came just a couple of weeks after coming back from an injury that saw him miss the first few months of the campaign.
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Postecoglou comments on Richarlison injury
Postecoglou confirmed that the issue looks concerning, and the attacker could be facing another spell on the treatment table.
Speaking to the press after the defeat to Liverpool, the Spurs boss said: "It looks like his calf. It didn't look too good after the game, so probably one to add to the list."
Dominic Solanke is already absent with a knee injury, and it now looks like his deputy will be missing for the foreseeable future, meaning recent recruit Tel may be drafted in earlier than expected.
Postecoglou did provide positive updates on numerous players last week, suggesting the likes of Destiny Udogie, Guglielmo Vicario, Brennan Johnson and James Maddison could all return in the week or so, but this is another blow for the Lilywhites.
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Postecoglou sets unwanted first in humbling defeat
Adding another injury to the list comes on the same night that Postecoglou set an unwanted first as Tottenham manager.
In his 79th game in charge, Spurs failed to register a single shot on target in a match for the first time under the Aussie at Anfield tonight.
Spurs barely laid a glove on Liverpool all night, managing just five attempts during the 90 minutes, with Son Heung-min the only player who came close to scoring, striking the crossbar from an acute angle at 3-0 down.
It was the first time in 10 matches during 2025 where Spurs have failed to score too, and their supporters will be hugely disappointed at the side's no-show in their biggest game for four years, since last reaching the EFL Cup final.
Andrew Delaney
