Tottenham 1-0 Liverpool: Lucas Bergvall strikes late on to give Spurs Carabao Cup semi-final first leg advantage

Eighteen-year-old Lucas Bergvall’s first goal for Tottenham has given his side a precious 1-0 lead to take to Anfield in their Carabao Cup semi-final with Liverpool.

Arne Slot’s Reds were emphatic 6-3 winners when these teams met in the Premier League in north London in December but this was a tighter, error-filled contest which saw the top-flight’s two leading scorers lacking their usual sharpness in the final third – until Dominic Solanke impressively out-muscled Ibrahima Konate for Bergvall to strike on 86 minutes.

Solanke had already seen a goal of his own chalked off for offside, with the VAR call announced over the public address system by referee Stuart Attwell for the first time. That news was greeted by jeers from the Spurs fans and celebratory cheers from the Liverpool support – but the mood of those supporters switched with Bergvall’s late intervention.

There was an element of controversy with the goal, as Liverpool had appealed for a foul – and potential second yellow – when Bergvall slid in on Kostas Tsimikas a couple of minutes before he struck. But referee Attwell waved play on. Tsimikas was off the pitch having received treatment when Bergvall scored.

For Ange Postecoglou and his group, this could be a huge moment in their development. Spurs went into the tie already badly depleted and with new signing Antonin Kinsky thrown in for his debut in goal. They then lost Rodrigo Bentancur to a worrying first-half injury which saw the midfielder stretchered off and then taken to hospital.

But with Kinsky impressing in his first game, including a sharp save in second-half stoppage time to deny Darwin Nunez, Spurs were able to limit an off-colour Liverpool. They could have been ahead earlier, too, with Pedro Porro seeing a shot blocked and then chipping wide when Bergvall caught Alisson in possession. However, Radu Dragusin was needed to block Trent Alexander-Arnold’s fierce shot on the line.

Slot’s side have made a sluggish start to the New Year, dropping points at home to Manchester United in the Premier League and now leave London with an uphill battle to turn around this tie in the second leg on Thursday February 6.

Story of the match in stats…

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