Lucas Bergvall’s first Tottenham Hotspur goal edged his team ahead of Liverpool in the race to reach the Carabao Cup final after he fired them to a 1-0 victory in north London.
In Wednesday’s semi-final first leg at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Ange Postecoglou and Arne Slot’s sides largely cancelled each other out until, after Dominic Solanke had been denied by a VAR offside call, 18-year-old Bergvall swept home the only goal of the game in the 86th minute.
Spurs’ evening had got off to a worrying start, with midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur having to be stretchered off after challenging for an early corner, but ahead of next month’s second leg at Anfield, they will hold a slender advantage.
Jack Pitt-Brooke, Jay Harris and Andy Jones break down the main talking points from Wednesday’s opening semi-final leg.
What happened to Rodrigo Bentancur?
The first half was dominated by a lengthy stoppage after just six minutes when Tottenham midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur went down and required treatment.
Bentancur had gone down while flicking the ball on with his head at the near post, and the attention of the crowd was initially on the attempts of Son Heung-Min and Radu Dragusin to capitalise on the opportunity.
But it soon became clear that Bentancur was down on the ground in the penalty area, and the players hurriedly called over the medical staff.
After a long time attending to Bentancur, the staff moved him onto a stretcher and then took him off, with the Uruguay international wearing an oxygen mask. At half-time, Bentancur was reported to be conscious and talking, and he was taken to hospital for further checks.
Rodrigo Bentancur was stretchered off early in the first half (John Walton/PA Images via Getty Images)
Jack Pitt-Brooke
Bergvall’s big moment
Since Lucas Bergvall made his first start for Spurs in the Premier League against Southampton last month, he has grown in stature with every game.
The 18-year-old clearly needed a few months to adjust to the physicality of English football after joining Tottenham from Swedish side Djurgarden in the summer. He was exceptional against Newcastle United on Saturday and followed that up with another impressive performance against Liverpool.
The midfielder is so comfortable at receiving the ball under pressure and confidently drives forward with it. He has also formed an excellent understanding with his close friend Dejan Kulusevski.
Lucas Bergvall controls the ball under pressure from Liverpool’s Curtis Jones (Harry Murphy – Danehouse/Getty Images)
He can be rash, though, and was extremely lucky to stay on the pitch on Wednesday evening. He was booked for a wild challenge on Luis Diaz in the 67th minute and 10 minutes later, nearly wiped out Ryan Gravenberch. Then, when Liverpool were on the counter, he dived into a tackle on Kostas Tsimikas. Virgil van Dijk protested but the referee did not send him off.
A minute later, the Sweden international swept the ball past Alisson after fantastic work from Solanke to turn Ibrahima Konate. Liverpool head coach Slot went mad on the touchline and was booked for complaining.
Bergvall did not care as he jumped in front of the Spurs fans with sheer delight on his face. The teenager’s first goal for Spurs could not have come at a better time.
Jay Harris
Were both teams pulling their punches?
The last time Liverpool were here in the league, it was a thrilling encounter: a 6-3 away win which could have seen even more goals.
But this was a much tighter affair, a narrow 1-0 win for Spurs. Very little happened in the first half and the second half steadily improved without ever fully opening up.
It felt for a long time here as if both teams were happy to play a patient game, conserving resources and focusing on getting through to next month’s second leg at Anfield.
This would make perfect sense for both teams. Tottenham, of course, do not want to risk too much until they have players back and can play something more akin to their natural high-tempo game than the slower, modified brand they play at the moment. Liverpool will want to get back to Anfield, in front of their own fans, and take advantage of the atmosphere there.
And with both teams struggling with injuries as they try to compete on multiple fronts, neither side can afford to lose any more players.
But while Liverpool never fully got going, it was Spurs who were able to turn it up with their physicality in the second half. Solanke had a goal disallowed for a marginal offside but he still had the energy to dominate Konate and set up the winner for Bergvall, who never stopped running all night.
Jack Pitt-Brooke
Alexander-Arnold provides a response
The big talking point of Liverpool’s team selection was the inclusion of Conor Bradley at right-back, with Trent Alexander-Arnold dropping to the bench.
Alexander-Arnold was subjected to a lot of criticism following his disappointing display against Manchester United on Sunday. The build-up to that game saw him cast as the centre of attention too as speculation about his future increased following Real Madrid’s enquiry.
Having played a lot of football due to Bradley’s absence, Slot took the opportunity to rotate both of his full-backs, with Tsimikas picked instead of Andy Robertson.
Alexander-Arnold, who is into the final six months of his contract, watched from the bench as Bradley impressed. In his first start since returning from injury, the Northern Ireland international produced the typical high energy, tough-tackling display we have come to expect.
Slot introduced Alexander-Arnold on the hour mark and the 26-year-old looked much more like his normal self, particularly in possession as he helped improve what had been a toothless attacking performance from Liverpool.
He came closest to scoring but his effort was cleared off the line by Radu Dragusin and although Liverpool conceded, there was little he could do to prevent it. With Bradley back fit, Alexander-Arnold now has competition, but this was a cameo which should help build his confidence.
Trent Alexander-Arnold came on a second-half substitute (Justin Tallis/AFP via Getty Images)
Andy Jones
Antonin Kinsky had only trained with his new team-mates twice after officially joining Spurs on Sunday, before he was thrown into the starting XI against Liverpool. It would have been understandable if the 21-year-old was nervous on his debut but he oozed confidence.
This is only his first appearance for Tottenham so it’s important to not get carried away, but he is far better with the ball at his feet than Fraser Forster or Brandon Austin and, potentially, Guglielmo Vicario. He sprayed passes around the pitch with ease and frequently chipped the ball over Mohamed Salah into the path of Djed Spence.
He pulled off a pinpoint long-range pass to Son Heung-min in the first half, which nearly led to a goalscoring opportunity for Dominic Solanke. Ange Postecoglou turned to Kinsky and applauded him.
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The Czech Republic international stayed high off his line to sweep up any loose balls and there was one moment where he backtracked into the box, kicked the ball over Diogo Jota’s head, and calmly plucked it from the air.
He made a few routine saves too from Alexis Mac Allister and Cody Gakpo, and a very good one from Darwin Nunez. Tottenham have signed Kinsky to provide Vicario with competition and, considering the quality of the opposition, he passed his first test with flying colours.
Jay Harris
How big a blow is Quansah’s injury for Liverpool?
With Joe Gomez picking up a hamstring injury against West Ham United on December 29 and Konate still building match fitness after only just returning from injury, the last thing Liverpool needed was another injury at centre-back.
The sight of Jarell Quansah sitting down and clutching the back of his leg less than 30 minutes into the game against Tottenham was not what head coach Arne Slot wanted to see.
Konate was on the bench but with Slot keen not to overuse the French international and risk another injury, he opted to get creative by bringing on defensive midfielder Wataru Endo to replace Quansah partner Virgil van Dijk.
Endo, who also operated in that role in the second half against Southampton in the previous round, adapted to the role well. His calmness on the ball helped Liverpool gain better control of a game that saw them create their own problems with a number of mistakes in possession.
Jarell Quansah speaks to Arne Slot after being forced off off (Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)
It is a disappointment for Quansah, who had the opportunity to impress following Gomez’s injury. It has been a difficult campaign for the 21-year-old — and he did not start the game in a confident manner — and he might now be set to miss a period where he would have played more regularly.
The problem for Slot is, with a busy January schedule ahead, he is reduced to only two recognised senior centre-backs. Van Dijk and Konate have been Slot’s first-choice partnership when all have been available, but he will have to get creative if he wants to rest them at any point.
It is now likely that Endo will play at centre-back against Accrington Stanley in the FA Cup but the question to be answered is who will partner him?
Andy Jones
What next for Spurs?
Sunday, January 12: Tamworth (A), FA Cup third round, 12.30pm GMT, 7.30am ET
What next for Liverpool?
Saturday, January 11: Accrington Stanley (H), FA Cup third round, 12.15pm GMT, 7.15am ET
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(Top photo: Sebastian Frej/MB Media/Getty Images)
