Mauricio Pochettino: Four Times the Argentine Lost Out on Silverware to English Teams

• Chelsea were beaten in the EFL Cup final by Liverpool
• Virgil van Dijk’s header in extra time proved to be enough
• Pochettino has now lost three cup finals to English sides

Mauricio Pochettino’s wait for an English trophy is set to continue as Chelsea fell short in the Carabao Cup final on Sunday, February 25.

Liverpool emerged winners thanks to Virgil Van Dijk’s late header in what was the 42nd attempt in a highly engaging final.

This was the Reds’ 10th triumph in the competition, and it was achieved in remarkable fashion as Jurgen Klopp had a number of big names missing from his squad, including talisman Mohamed Salah.

For Chelsea, it was a bitter pill to swallow as they had a far superior squad on the day compared to Liverpool, whose team was full of young, inexperienced talents.

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The Blues have now lost six successive Wembley finals, and the stats get worse for their manager Pochettino, who can't seem to get it right against English teams when it matters.

Sports Brief takes a look at previous occasions when Pochettino lost out on silverware to an English side

Tottenham vs Chelsea, Carabao Cup final 2015

In his very first season in charge of Tottenham, Pochettino took the team by storm, leading the team to the League Cup final.

However, a Mourinho-led Chelsea secured a 2-0 win thanks to goals by John Terry and Diego Costa.

League title collapse in 2015/2016

In the 2015/2016 season, Tottenham emerged as an unlikely title contender alongside Leicester City.

After chasing the Foxes for most of the season and with heavyweights like Manchester City, Arsenal and Liverpool off the mark, many expected the North Londoners to go all the way.

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But a game dubbed the “Battle at the Bridge” involving Tottenham and Chelsea ended in a 2-2 draw, and that result ultimately gave Leicester City the title with two rounds of matches to go, per EuroSport.

Tottenham vs Liverpool, Champions League Final, 2019

After a dramatic semi-final triumph over Ajax, Pochettino’s Tottenham set up an all-English final against Liverpool.

The Argentine tactician fell short once again as Klopp’s Liverpool beat them 2-0 in Madrid to win their sixth European trophy.

Chelsea vs Liverpool, Carabao Cup final 2024

Finally, Pochettino experienced Deja Vu after his Chelsea side lost 1-0 to Liverpool at Wembley on Sunday.

Why Van Dijk’s goal was ruled out

Sports Brief also reported on why Virgin van Dijk’s goal was ruled out in the Carabao Cup final.

The towering Dutchman thought he had given his team the lead after heading in from Andy Robertson’s free kick.

But after intervention from VAR, referee Chris Kavanagh ultimately ruled out the goal for an offside.