Harry Kane admitted that there is no “easy answer” to why Tottenham Hotspur, for all of their excellent play over the last two years, still come up short when it matters most.

Spurs dominated Saturday’s FA Cup semi-final at Wembley but still found a way to lose 4-2 to Chelsea. Kane and the rest of the Spurs players were crestfallen afterwards, left needing an unlikely Chelsea collapse for them to have any chance of winning silverware in this, Mauricio Pochettino’s third season at the club.

As well as Spurs have done under Pochettino, Saturday raised serious questions – or at least failed to answer existing ones – about when Tottenham will make that final step from a good team to a winning team. Kane, speaking after the game, said that there is no simple solution, only more work, more time and more luck.

“It is hard because we have to find a way to win this sort of game, the big games, the big moments,” Kane said afterwards. “We need to find a way to get over the line, even when we are not playing so well. It hurts even more when we can’t do it when we are playing well.”

Ultimately Spurs’ performance on Saturday was strong in general but poor on specifics. They dominated the ball and set the tempo, but were let down by sloppiness in both penalty areas. “It is hard to put a finger on why, and what you can do to change it,” Kane admitted. “We are playing great football for most the game, the better team, but for one reason or another we didn’t get over the finish line. That is what we have got try to do. I don’t think there is an easy answer to it. It comes over a period of time.”

Chelsea 4 Tottenham 2 player ratings Show all 22 1 /22 Chelsea 4 Tottenham 2 player ratings Chelsea 4 Tottenham 2 player ratings Thibaut Courtois – 6 out of 10 Aside from the two Tottenham goals, the Belgian keeper made a handful of vital saves to keep his side in it. Getty Images, Chelsea 4 Tottenham 2 player ratings Cesar Azpilicueta – 6 out of 10 Was getting dragged out of position at times, but overall it was a satisfying display. He tackled well and supported the midfielders in possession. Getty Images Chelsea 4 Tottenham 2 player ratings David Luiz – 9 out of 10 His defensive display today was faultless. He tackled hard, led the line at the back and was creating moves from the back. Getty Images, Chelsea 4 Tottenham 2 player ratings Nathan Ake – 7 out of 10 Today was a huge chance for Ake and he certainly performed under pressure. The only issue was that he was diving into challenges – resulting in a number of needless Tottenham free kicks. AFP/Getty Images Chelsea 4 Tottenham 2 player ratings Victor Moses – 8 out of 10 Was certainly one of Chelsea’s top players today. He was energetic, oozing with confidence and he won the penalty for Willian’s second goal. Getty Images Chelsea 4 Tottenham 2 player ratings N’Golo Kante – 8 out of 10 A textbook Kante display. Energetic, powerful, clever and quite simply ran the midfield. He is the engine within the Chelsea side. Getty Images Chelsea 4 Tottenham 2 player ratings Nemanja Matic – 7 out of 10 His somewhat mediocre display was redeemed his sublime strike from distance in the late stages of the game. Getty Chelsea 4 Tottenham 2 player ratings Marcos Alonso – 6 out of 10 He looked dangerous pressing forward, but defensively he was clumsy and gave away a handful of unnecessary fouls. Getty Images Chelsea 4 Tottenham 2 player ratings Willian – 9 out of 10 He appeared to thrive on the pressure of his late introduction to the starting 11, with two goals. His free kick was an example of his endless talent. AFP/Getty Images Chelsea 4 Tottenham 2 player ratings Pedro – 6 out of 10 His pace proved problematic for Spurs, but he did not see enough of the ball in my opinion. AFP/Getty Images Chelsea 4 Tottenham 2 player ratings Michy Batshuayi – 6 out of 10 Hunted possession relentlessly and when he tracked back to defend a corner, he always the one to clear the danger. Tottenham Hotspur FC via Getty I Chelsea 4 Tottenham 2 player ratings Hugo Lloris – 4 out of 10 Should have arguably saved Willian’s free kick. Aside from that, it was hard for him to look impressive against such a clinical Chelsea side. Tottenham Hotspur FC via Getty I Chelsea 4 Tottenham 2 player ratings Kieran Trippier – 7 out of 10 He was particularly impressive today when he was pumping long balls over the top to Kane and Son from a defensive position. Getty Images Chelsea 4 Tottenham 2 player ratings Eric Dier – 6 out of 10 His work rate was faultless, he created moves going forward and he continued to pump balls into the danger zone. AFP/Getty Images Chelsea 4 Tottenham 2 player ratings Toby Alderweireld – 6 out of 10 Aside from giving away the free kick for Willian’s first goal, he performed well and tackled courageously for the full 90 minutes today. Tottenham Hotspur FC via Getty I Chelsea 4 Tottenham 2 player ratings Jan Vertonghen – 6 out of 10 He stood up well when Chelsea were attacking and he made a countless amount of blocks and interceptions. Getty Images Chelsea 4 Tottenham 2 player ratings Victor Wanyama – 6 out o f10 He passed the ball well and was using the width of the pitch well. Defensively there is certainly room for improvement. Tottenham Hotspur FC via Getty I Chelsea 4 Tottenham 2 player ratings Mousa Dembele – 7 out of 10 He patrolled the game from the middle of the pitch, used possession well and won a number of the aerial challenges. AFP/Getty Images Chelsea 4 Tottenham 2 player ratings Son Heung-min – 4 out of 10 His decision to slide tackle Moses inside of the area was simply imprudent. Was also very wasteful in possession. Getty Images Chelsea 4 Tottenham 2 player ratings Christian Eriksen – 8 out of 10 He created Kane’s opener and his assist for Alli’s goal will be one of the best that we can expect to see all season. Incredible. Tottenham Hotspur FC via Getty I Chelsea 4 Tottenham 2 player ratings Dele Alli – 8 out of 10 His equaliser for Spurs was an impressive strike, which he thoroughly deserved following a top display. Getty Images, Chelsea 4 Tottenham 2 player ratings Harry Kane – 8 out of 10 His headed goal to level the scoring showed top technique from a tricky angle. Today he was energetic, alert and caused the Chelsea defence problems throughout. Getty Images,

That was Pochettino’s argument, too, that Spurs simply have to keep faith with what they have been doing. It might hurt to see them beaten in the biggest games by the biggest teams, and to end another impressive season without a trophy. But they are still on the right track. They have to trust themselves to stay on it.

“When you play the way we did and lost, there is nothing to say,” Pochettino said. “Chelsea were lucky today, [they had] a lot of luck. We played well and if you take away the result, today there was only one team who played. But there is nothing to say, nothing to do and it is hard for me to explain.”

Pochettino was delighted with how Spurs dominated possession and forced Chelsea back, and said bad luck was decisive. Chelsea’s second goal came from a penalty Victor Moses won from Son Heung-min, on the Nigerian’s only serious incursion into the Spurs third.

“That was unlucky,” Pochettino said. “They found time to score four, and they only had one corner, we had 11. If you see the stats, it was a completely unfair result. But that is football. Sometimes you can get nothing when everything is against you.”

So now what? Spurs are still four points behind Chelsea in the Premier League and need what would be a very unlikely meltdown for them to win the title. Had Chelsea lost on Saturday they might have wobbled, but they showed such mental strength it is almost inconceivable they will lose the league from here.

Spurs are yet to win a major trophy since Pochettino took over (Getty)

All Spurs can do is win their last six league games and put as much pressure on as possible. They could very plausibly get to 80 or even 85 league points, which is a serious achievement for any team, never mind one with Spurs’ resources.

For Pochettino, Spurs just have to keep doing what they have been doing. “For the rest of the season, nothing changes,” he said proudly. “The team are showing unbelievable performances and playing well. It is a big disappointment today but I will change absolutely nothing.”

On Wednesday they go to Selhurst Park to play Crystal Palace, a game that is at least as important to Pochettino as this one was. That is why first-choice wing backs Kyle Walker and Ben Davies did not start, even if the players themselves might have rather played at Wembley.