ONCE again inconsistency has proved Tottenham's undoing, in a season, which ultimately may prove fruitless.

The 4-0 defeat to Manchester United on Wednesday, coupled with the crushing disappointment of losing the Worthington Cup Final, means that Spurs will probably have to look to the FA Cup for a route into Europe next season.

The Premiership run-in is not an enviable one for the Lilywhites, who still have to face Arsenal, Liverpool, Leeds and Chelsea, so the FA Cup quarter-final against Chelsea on Sunday really will make or break Spurs' season.

Of course the team have had more than their fair share of bad luck and highly debatable refereeing decisions this year. If Graham Poll (in the Worthington Cup Final) and David Elleray (Everton v Spurs in the Premiership in August) had seen certain situations differently, then the outlook could have been much more rosy.

It was another extremely controversial penalty decision that turned the game on Wednesday, when Taricco was sent off for holding back Scholes outside the area, and a penalty was given a decision branded "diabolical" and "unjust" by manager Glenn Hoddle after the game.

That put Spurs firmly on the back foot and there was only ever going to be one outcome.

Van Nistelrooy and Beckham each bagged a brace and there could easily have been more, especially from the dangerous-looking Diego Forlan, signed this season for £7.5m from South American side Independiente.

As with the last five or six seasons, Spurs have suffered more than most in the injury stakes, with the likes of Carr, Clemence, Freund, Armstrong and Doherty being very unlucky. And Spurs fans will not be surprised to see Darren 'Sicknote' Anderton in the treatment room once again.

After the game, Hoddle reflected on what could have been.

He said: "In the first half, we had lots of possession and chances before they scored and I would have taken 1-0 at half-time.

"We might have got something out of the game, but it was never going to happen after getting Tano sent off and going down to ten men."

Tottenham will now have to see if they can recapture the form they showed in the Worthington Cup semi-final for the next two games against Chelsea, firstly in the cup at White Hart Lane on Sunday, and then at Stamford Bridge in the Premiership on Wednesday.