Tottenham beat Liverpool to take semi-final advantage as Reds left furious - 5 talking points
TOTTENHAM 1-0 LIVERPOOL: Lucas Bergvall scored a late winner for Ange Postecoglou's injury-hit side to hand them a slender advantage in the Carabao Cup semi-final
by Jacob Leeks · The MirrorLucas Bergvall scored a late winner to hand Tottenham the advantage in their Carabao Cup semi-final clash with Liverpool.
A largely drab affair was marred by an early injury to Rodrigo Bentancur, who was taken to hospital after being stretchered off. There were few clear-cut chances, though Liverpool largely dominated after a tricky opening 10 minutes.
The Reds' best chance came when sub Trent Alexander-Arnold had a strike cleared off the line with 20 minutes to go. But they were made to pay with four minutes of normal time remaining when Bergvall fired home.
Dominic Solanke did well to shrug off Ibrahima Konate before laying the ball off to Bergvall, who swept the ball past Alisson. But Liverpool were furious, believing the midfielder should have been sent off for a foul on Kostas Tsimikas having already been booked.
To rub salt into the wounds, Tsimikas was off the pitch receiving treatment due to the challenge when Bergvall scored the winner. Here, Mirror Football looks at the biggest talking points from the first leg, with the reverse tie coming at the start of February.
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Advantage Spurs
Spurs have a toe in the Carabao Cup final, with Ange Postecoglou's side taking a slender lead into the second leg. Lucas Bergvall's late strike may have been against the run of play, but it was deserved given the hosts' stern defensive display.
Liverpool have it all to do in the return tie, which will be held at Anfield at the start of February. There is a small glimmer of hope for the Reds, with Spurs' last win on Merseyside coming way back in May 2011.
The last time they avoided defeat at Anfield was nearly three years ago in a 1-1 draw in May 2022. That history and Liverpool's near-dominance at home this term makes it a difficult test for Postecoglou's side despite their lead.
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Liverpool's defensive worries
The concerns for Liverpool's defence following Wednesday's game are two-fold. First, they looked worryingly open at the back during the opening 10 minutes as Tottenham dominated the early stages.
Though they found more stability after that point, the Reds saw Jarrell Quansah forced off just before the half-hour mark. Quansah's exit comes with Joe Gomez already sidelined and Ibrahima Konate having only just returned from a lengthy spell in the treatment room.
In a sign of the mounting crisis, Slot brought on midfielder Wataru Endo, with the Japanese international forced to play out of position at centre-back. With the Reds still fighting on four fronts, a new centre-back may be high on their January shopping list.
More headaches for Spurs
Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou has been battling an injury crisis for virtually the entire season. And his selection headache will only have worsened after the clash with Liverpool.
Having made a bright start, Spurs were dealt a major blow when Rodrigo Bentancur had to be stretchered off. It was a concerning injury for the hosts, who brought on Brennan Johnson in his place.
It's yet another problem for Postecoglou to be dealing with as he looks to kickstart his side's season. It is unknown how long Bentancur will be sidelined for, though the Uruguayan was treated for more than six minutes on the pitch and did require oxygen.
Salah's rare off-night
Mohamed Salah endured a rare off-night on Wednesday as he struggled up against Djed Spence. Salah has arguably been Liverpool's most important player this season, scoring 21 goals in all competitions.
But he was kept quiet against Spurs, having only two shots, neither of which were on target. The attacker also only had four touches in Tottenham's box and had only 11 touches in the first-half.
With Slot's side struggling to create clear-cut chances, they needed Salah on form to find a way through. But his problems against Spence meant that the visitors' talisman was mostly missing.
Solanke sends a message
OK, so he was eventually found to be offside in an incredibly tight call, but Dominic Solanke did send a small message to England boss Thomas Tuchel with his 'goal'. With just under 15 minutes to play, Solanke was sent through on goal.
The striker stayed calm despite the onrushing Alisson and he presence of several Liverpool defenders to slot the ball under the keeper and into the net. VAR eventually judged him to have been just ahead of Trent Alexander-Arnold.
But his ability to stay calm with one of the few chances he got on goal will likely please Tuchel, who may be looking at potential alternatives to Harry Kane. He followed that up by providing a brilliant assist for Lucas Bergvall to open the scoring.
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