Mauricio Pochettino insists he has no regrets after Tottenham were dumped out of the FA Cup by Manchester United.
A rampant Spurs raced into a deserved lead at Wembley when Dele Alli broke the deadlock on 11 minutes.
But goals from Alexis Sanchez and Ander Herrera saw United progress into a record 20th FA Cup final as Pochettino’s wait for a trophy at Spurs continued.
“I have no regrets,” Pochettino said. “We competed and dominated the first half, it was completely unfair to be 1-1 at half-time.
“But in the second half they scored and the game was more competitive, even. When you compete against clubs like Manchester United it’s always 50-50, and today the victory was for them.
“We are trying to learn, always. But sometimes it’s not about learning, you have to have the capacity to beat your opponent.”
For Tottenham, it was a familiar feeling as they lost an eighth successive FA Cup semi-final, the worst record ever in the history of the competition.
It means their wait for a trophy will stretch to 11 years and leaves Pochettino under more pressure to match their rise to the top of the English game with silverware.
Dele Alli celebrates after opening the scoring at Wembley
But the Argentinian has always been steadfast in his opinion that the Premier League and Champions League are the priorities and he is not wavering from that message.
“We are in a process that to arrive at the semi-final and be competitive in the Champions League and be competitive in the Premier League and fight for the top four is not enough,” he said.
“Everyone feels that we are close and still it is near to touch. It is the only way to reach the next level, that allows you to compete if not to win.
“Tottenham in the last four years are building a very good team, trying to create a winning mentality and it is not enough at the moment.
“But Tottenham need to keep going in this direction and to create that winning mentality, it is not about a few years
“Tottenham need more time with me or with another, but the most important thing is to keep going and keep developing that philosophy that is fantastic for this club.
“We are in the process in the last four years there was the challenge to be competitive and then to reduce the distance with the top four. We were competitive in the last four years but winning a trophy is not easy.”
