Ange Postecoglou spoke to the media at Anfield after our 4-0 loss on the night, and 4-1 aggregate defeat against Liverpool in the Carabao Cup semi-final on Thursday evening.
Here's what he had to say...
Ange on if the players met his expectations...
"Look, it's fair to say we didn't get to the levels we need to tonight. It was always going to be a big challenge for us. They're obviously a very good side and in a great moment with all their players in very good form, very settled. For us to give ourselves an opportunity, we had to be a lot more aggressive with and without the ball and we weren't. We allowed them to control the game and dictate where it was played. In the end, they were too good for us."
On if the result could be damaging for the rest of the season...
"It's disappointing. It was a great opportunity for us to get to a final. We didn't give ourselves a chance to take the opportunity which is probably more disappointing. Ultimately, it's an opportunity for further learning and for us to atone for that by making amends with a strong performance (at Villa in the FA Cup) on Sunday."
On Richarlison's injury...
"It looks like his calf. It didn't look too good after the game, so probably one to add to the list."
On our debutants, Kevin Danso and Mathys Tel...
"They did okay. Kevin was really positive, as was Mathys. It's hard, you know, throwing guys in after their first training sessions, it's not ideal. That's part of our dilemma at the moment of trying to get some fluency and consistency, but also knowing we have to keep tinkering with the starting liner-up to account for everything going on. I thought they acquitted themselves well."
On our players not 'being brave' on the night...
"Yes, it is disappointing. It’s not the fact that we have come here and lost. It’s a difficult place to come to and they are in a great moment right now. It would be difficult for anyone to come here. I would have liked us to play more like who we are than we did tonight. There is a lesson in there for us for sure that if we kind of veer away from that it almost becomes impossible for us."
On being judged with so many injuries...
"I don’t worry about being judged or who is judging. I think ultimately my responsibility is to try to get the players I have to perform to the best of their abilities and to tackle the problems we have got at the moment and everyone knows the challenges we’ve got. It’s disappointing tonight because we had an opportunity to get to a final and they don’t come around too often, so to let that slip as I said is disappointing but probably more disappointing is we didn’t play in the manner we wanted to and we know we can, which may have given us an opportunity to get through. There are some learnings in there for us and we will take them away."
On whether or not Liverpool after the best team he's faced in England...
"They're a good side and they're in a great moment. They're flying in all competition, all their players are in great physical condition, their top players are in the peak of their powers and they're in a great spot. They're a compelling side. They are where they are because of their form and consistency."
On if the players believed the tie was there for them...
"I think they understood the opportunity for sure. When the reality of it out there hits you, it's a bit different to maybe what you envisioned in your head. We'll learn from tonight but the major lesson to learn is that we can't go into games like this looking to protect or try to get results in other ways than what's got us to this point. I'm sure the players will learn from that, I'm sure they're disappointed by that. As much as we've missed an opportunity to get to a final, what's probably hurting even more is that we didn't really give ourselves a chance with our performance tonight. We set the team up and our intent was to go out and play the same way we play every week. We were trying to put pressure on them and unsettle them but it never really materialised. We didn't really have conviction when we had the ball either which allowed them to get control of the game. So, a whole manner of things that we didn't really do that would have given us at least an opportunity to get past this stage."