TOTTENHAM 1-0 LIVERPOOL : Lucas Bergvall conjured a remarkable late goal to take his side into the second leg of this Carabao Cup semi-final with a slight advantage, although he played with fire after narrowly escaping a second yellow card.
What a difference a fortnight can make. Just 17 days ago, Tottenham suffered an incredible 6-3 rout against Liverpool, a match that will long be remembered as it was so chaotic. But as the final whistle blew in this captivating encounter, Spurs fans celebrated with chants echoing their aspirations of a trip to Wembley.
The transformation has been nothing short of astonishing. Ange Postecoglou, under increasing scrutiny, may well be on track to fulfill his bold promise of winning a trophy in his second season. Yet it was not without a dose of drama; Bergvall found the back of the net in the 86th minute, much to the dismay of the Liverpool contingent who thought he should have seen red before scoring.
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Bergvall’s luck was hard to ignore; having already been booked, he committed a flagrant foul on Kostas Tsimikas but escaped punishment, only to put his name on the scoresheet, sending his teammates and fans into ecstasy.
On the other hand, the frustration was palpable on the Liverpool bench as Arne Slot’s team showed a rare lack of edge. Careless defensive errors and a failure to convert chances saw Liverpool falter on a night where every inch counted. Perhaps Slot should take a cue from Arsenal’s Mikel Arteta and lay some of the blame on the controversial Puma ball used tonight.
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-Even Mohamed Salah, who has been in great form with 21 goals to his name this season, failed to find his feet, while Liverpool struggled to create clear chances. Yet Spurs deserve to receive huge praise for their performance – they showed resilience and determination, qualities which have been lacking in recent weeks.
Their eyes were clearly on Wembley and a potential first trophy since 2008, with Radu Dragusin holding firm in defence, even managing to clear a late threat off the line, against Trent Alexander-Arnold. New recruit Antonin Kinsky, who arrived from Slavia Prague for 12 million pounds, also shone with a reassuring performance in goal, highlighting his composure and reliability.
However, the evening was overshadowed by moments of worry as Rodrigo Bentancur collapsed in the first half, leaving everyone in the stadium holding their breath in anxious silence. Fortunately, he was taken to hospital conscious, although details surrounding the incident remain unclear.
For Liverpool, a somewhat unusual defense included Conor Bradley, Tsimikas and Jarell Quansah, with Trent Alexander-Arnold on the bench after a disappointing outing against Manchester United amid transfer rumors regarding a potential move to Real Madrid. The disruption continued when Quansah left the field injured, forcing Endo Wataru into defense, creating a sense of instability. Even Alisson wasn’t as dominant as usual, leaving many wondering about their defensive set-up.
Despite Liverpool’s attempts, including a missed chance from Salah and a header from Alexis Mac Allister that fell straight into Kinsky’s hands, a goal was disallowed by VAR, a moment which set the stadium ablaze and intelligently engaged the supporters in the progress of the match.
As Liverpool intensified their efforts to equalize, even substitutes like Darwin Nunez could not wake the team up. Just when it looked like the match would end goalless, Dominic Solanke controlled the ball on the edge of the box, before passing it to Bergvall – who slipped it into the back of the net for the decisive goal, giving Spurs a glimmer of hope as they look towards the second leg.
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