Jol: Fredi ruined our Euro dream

Martin Jol today blamed Fredi Kanoute for costing Tottenham their best chance of silverware this season.

The striker conceded a penalty with an extraordinary handball during extra-time of last night's Carling Cup defeat by Liverpool.

Florent Sinama-Pongolle converted the 117th-minute spot-kick to level the match at 1-1 and force a shoot-out which Rafael Benitez's second string won 4-3.

To compound Spurs' misery, Liverpool were then handed a plum semi-final draw against Watford.

The Spurs head coach said: "I am disappointed, it was the surest way into Europe. Fredi was too disappointed to say anything. He knows himself he shouldn't have done it because it cost us. The difference between success and failure is so small.

"I still can't understand it. There was no pressure on him. It was a corner, I mean how could he make a handball? It's one of those things, I don't know why he did it.

"All you can say is 'how can you do that?' But he did it and we lost the game because of that. It cost us dearly."

Former West Ham forward Kanoute squandered the chance to redeem himself by missing a penalty during the shoot-out. Michael Brown was the other culprit, allowing Pongolle to score from the penalty spot for the second time on the night and seal a dramatic victory for Benitez's side.