Mauricio Pochettino Talks Jurgen Klopp, Liverpool After Tottenham EFL Cup Defeat

Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino criticised the “strange” complaints of Liverpool‘s coaching staff to the referee late in Spurs’ 2-1 EFL Cup defeat to the Reds at Anfield on Tuesday.
The Argentinian also felt Liverpool debutant Trent Alexander-Arnold could have been sent off for his challenge on Ben Davies during the match.
Pochettino was confused by the protests of Reds manager Jurgen Klopp and assistant Zeljko Buvac as they questioned why Kevin Wimmer had received only a yellow card for his tackle on Danny Ings, per the Daily Mail‘s Dominic King:
I think it was a bit strange that at the end of the game when their whole bench, they started to complain about us over the actions when the full back, Arnold, should be sent off with the big tackle on Ben Davies.
It was strange when their bench started to complain with another bench. It is the referee’s authority to say if it was a (foul) or not. It was strange.
We needed to focus on the game. They complained about a normal foul at the end of a game. Maybe, yes, they were lucky (not) to finish with 10.

Vincent Janssen’s late penalty was not enough to keep Spurs’ EFL Cup hopes alive after Daniel Sturridge had netted a double in the fourth-round clash.
Both managers made wholesale changes to their starting lineups for Tuesday’s clash, per Sky Sports Statto:
.@LFC make 11 changes from last PL game v West Brom. Lucas makes 250th start for Liverpool. Trent Alexander-Arnold makes his senior debut https://t.co/B6R5QYLt1k
.@SpursOfficial make 10 changes from last PL game v Bournemouth, only Dier remains. Cameron Carter-Vickers plays his 2nd senior game #THFC https://t.co/jQsDbF82Fl
Sturridge was the main architect of Spurs’ downfall as he found some form following an under-par start to the 2016-17 season.
The England international had chances to put the game to bed and bag himself a hat-trick, but there eventually was a tense finish to the match after Janssen netted from the spot with 14 minutes remaining.
Spurs could not force extra-time, though, and failed to make the last eight of the League Cup for the second season running.
Given the quality of the north London side, they surely saw the EFL Cup as an opportunity to claim some early silverware this term.
But a fourth-round draw away at Anfield was always going to be a tough task, and so it proved.
The Reds are now in the quarter-finals and a step closer to improving on their 2015-16 return in the competition, when they lost on penalties in the final to Manchester City.
Klopp said ahead of Tuesday’s clash that Liverpool had no other intention this season than to go one better, per the Liverpool Echo‘s James Pearce:
Klopp: "This is a very big cup tournament. We want to go to the final and we want to win it."
Without the trials of European football to deal with during 2016-17, the Reds will be able to put more of their focus on the EFL Cup than some of the other top teams.
After the defeat of Spurs, they will now be confident they can overcome any obstacle as they look to pick up the first piece of silverware on offer this season.