On this day in 2021: Tottenham sack Jose Mourinho ahead of cup final

Mourinho was plotting a way to beat Manchester City at Wembley and deliver Tottenham’s first trophy since they won the League Cup in 2008.

Jose Mourinho was sacked by Tottenham, on this day in 2021 (Jonathan Brady/PA) (PA Archive)

Tottenham sacked Jose Mourinho on this day in 2021, less than a week before he was due to lead them out in the Carabao Cup final.

Mourinho was plotting a way to beat Manchester City at Wembley and deliver Tottenham’s first trophy since they won the League Cup in 2008, but instead found himself out of work as Daniel Levy acted due to the club’s poor Premier League form.

His final game in charge was a 2-2 draw with Everton which left Spurs in seventh place with only one league win from five, five points from the top four and already out of the Europa League.

The announcement also came hours after Tottenham had become one of six Premier League clubs to sign up to the hugely controversial European Super League, although they and the others would quickly walk away from the project following fan protests.

Former Chelsea and Manchester United boss Mourinho had arrived at White Hart Lane in November 2019 following the sacking of Mauricio Pochettino.

Taking over a side languishing in 14th, Mourinho guided them to sixth in his first season, but although Spurs were briefly top of the table early on, there was little sign of progress in the second campaign.

Mourinho suffered 10 league defeats in a single season for the first time in his managerial career, dropping 20 points from winning positions, while Dinamo Zagreb ended their European hopes.

In what proved to be the final weeks of his reign there were the customary Mourinho swipes in the media and criticism of his own players.

Tottenham remain the only club on Mourinho’s managerial resume with which he failed to win any silverware.

Ryan Mason and Chris Powell were placed in temporary charge of the side to see out the season before Nuno Espirito Santo’s brief ill-fated spell as permanent boss began in the summer.