Mourinho Says He Couldn't Believe Spurs Sacking Days Before 2021 EFL Cup Final

Jose Mourinho says the decision that removed Mourinho from the Tottenham job before the 2021 EFL Cup final still surprises Mourinho, and believes Tottenham leadership placed Champions League qualification ahead of lifting silverware when Tottenham dismissed Mourinho less than a week before facing Manchester City at Wembley.

Mourinho was speaking about that episode on the Beast Mode On podcast, where Mourinho recalled the shock of learning Tottenham had decided to end Mourinho’s spell just before a major chance to win a trophy with the club, after months of planning for that specific Manchester City match.

The 63-year-old coach had arrived at Tottenham in November 2019, replacing Mauricio Pochettino, with Tottenham searching for a first title since the 2008 EFL Cup. Mourinho oversaw 86 matches in all competitions, winning 44, drawing 19 and losing 23, with Tottenham scoring 166 goals and conceding 103 during that period.

When Mourinho was removed, Tottenham were preparing to face Manchester City in the 2021 EFL Cup showpiece, yet the club chose Ryan Mason as interim head coach six days before the final. Tottenham eventually fell 1-0 at Wembley Stadium, missing a chance to end a long sequence without trophies under different managers.

Before the later Europa League success in 2025, Tottenham had not added new silverware since that 2008 EFL Cup victory, which shaped expectations around Mourinho’s tenure. For several key players, including Harry Kane, Son Heung-min and Hugo Lloris, that 2021 final represented a realistic route to a first major honour with Tottenham.

Mourinho explained that the club’s strategic stance appeared to focus on securing Champions League football rather than prioritising domestic cups, while Mourinho and several players treated the EFL Cup decider as a defining moment. Mourinho described the timing of the dismissal as incompatible with those ambitions inside the dressing room.

"I couldn't believe it," Mourinho told the Beast Mode On podcast. "I know that the final was at an almost empty Wembley [due to Covid-19]. Man City will have a couple of thousand fans, split by the whole north or south side of Wembley, Tottenham just a couple of thousand.

So it was an empty Wembley, not that big feeling of Wembley. But it was a final. It was a final in a moment where Tottenham had no trophies. At this moment, yes, they won the Europa League, but at that time, nothing. It was Harry Kane, zero titles, Son [Heung-min], zero titles, Hugo Lloris, with Tottenham, zero titles. I was up to it [managing Spurs in the final]. I remember we played in that week, we should play Southampton before the final, and my focus was totally on the final. So it was a shock. I think it was a kind of contradiction because for them [the club] the final didn't matter much, [but] for me and the players it meant everything.

Mourinho’s comments underline the split between the club hierarchy’s priorities and the squad’s desire for silverware at that time, with the 2025 Europa League win arriving under different management years later, long after Mourinho’s sudden exit before that 2021 EFL Cup final against Manchester City.