Match report & talking points as Spurs take advantage into Anfield second leg

Thanks to Lucas Bergvall’s second-half winner, Tottenham will take a 1-0 lead in their Carabao Cup semi-final second leg against Liverpool next month.

There will be much debate about whether the young Swede should have had the chance to seize the game-winning moment, but Spurs were well placed for their first-leg win on Wednesday night.

For the second game in a row, Liverpool underperformed, but with a thrilling second leg at Anfield next month they are far from out of contention.

How the game developed

Arne Slot perhaps surprised some when he was close to full strength on Wednesday night, as his team has had no rest over the last month. Some respite is likely to come in the FA Cup against Accrington Stanley this weekend before the league leaders travel to Nottingham Forest.

However, the Dutchman made four changes from the side that won N17 6-3 before Christmas, with the majority of the changes coming in defence.

Ange Postecoglou was as strong as he could be under the circumstances and new signing Antonin Kinsky immediately made his debut between the posts. South Korean Yang Min-hyeok sat on the bench.

Radu Dragusin forced a smart save from Alisson in the early exchanges, but the initial momentum was interrupted by Rodrigo Bentancur’s serious head/neck injury. The Uruguayan had to be stretchered out after a long break in the game and was fortunately later reported as conscious.

The predicted chaos never materialized in the opening stages as the contest suffered from interruptions. Tottenham, perhaps keen to avenge their defeat in December, fought bitterly and were the dominant side for most of the first half, but the Reds got into the fight after a sluggish and sloppy start and eventually forced the hosts’ way already before half time to hold on. However, newbie Kinsky was rarely tested.

There was no change in momentum after the restart, even though the fight should have been sparked by Spurs’ opening goal. After Bergvall worked tirelessly to finally eliminate a fortuitous Alisson, Pedro Porro inexplicably missed two great chances – the first of which was brilliantly blocked by Virgil van Dijk.

Slot opted for a triple change to give himself a chance and Liverpool wanted to take advantage with them to Anfield next month. A new signing, Trent Alexander-Arnold, went close with a superb half-volley, but the Englishman was deftly saved on the line by Dragusin.

The hosts then thought they had gained a valuable lead when Dominic Solanke got past Alisson after a divine Porro pass, but VAR was on hand to dampen Lilywhite’s spirits with Stuart Attwell confirming verbally (!) that Solanke was offside.

However, the Tottenham striker played a key role in the opener and eventual winning goal. Solanke set up Bergvall, who coolly finished after holding off Ibrahima Konate and holding off the onrushing Swede.

With Liverpool subsequently unable to find their gears, Spurs persevered and will take a valuable lead heading into Anfield in February.

Check out the player ratings for Tottenham vs Liverpool here.

Slot’s team selection showed respect for the hosts, but could also indicate that the Dutchman was keen to complete this semi-final clash away from home.

But after escaping with a point against Manchester United on Sunday, Liverpool struggled through Wednesday’s first leg just weeks after meeting the Lilywhites.

There were archetypal surges, but the Reds were generally slow and cautious in N17. Tottenham slowed down the build-up of play early on and it took a while for their strong forward line to get involved in the fight. The passes went astray as Slot’s side showed an uncharacteristic display of lack of cohesion and their inability to create chances was due not only to their sloppy work without the ball, but also to the hosts’ persistent attempts to get out of possession .

A 1-0 deficit is by no means insurmountable, especially considering the second leg ends at a level where superior Tottenham teams have suffered a quick death in the past. However, there is a lot to consider for Slot.

There was much talk of Postecoglou’s decision to recall Lucas Bergvall in the second half of Spurs’ defeat to Newcastle on Saturday, but suspensions for James Maddison and Pape Sarr meant the Swede’s freshness was needed against the Reds.

Initially it looked as if Bergvall would be given the chance to thrive in free midfield, but the forced withdrawal of Bentancur prompted Ange to change course. With Dejan Kulusevski moving upfield, the young midfielder had to be positioned closer to Yves Bissouma, but the Bergvall didn’t let that stop them from playing a more disciplined role like they did on Saturday.

Bergvall, alongside the equally impressive Archie Gray and Djed Spence, demonstrate the courage and fearlessness with which their manager encourages them to play. While Gray stepped forward with confidence, Spence didn’t care that Mohamed Salah was closest and Bergvall’s performance without the ball was outstanding.

Maybe he was lucky to stay on the pitch, but the 18-year-old was the deserved winner of the game on Wednesday night.

Tottenham have a lot of work to do in the January transfer window and Johan Lange has been secretly working to get his first deal of the month over the line. 98% of the fan base had never heard of 21-year-old Czech goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky before hints of his imminent arrival emerged.

However, he would have won a lot on his debut.

Short sleeves are an aesthetic question mark, but otherwise Kinsky looks good. His work with the ball was brilliant throughout as he demonstrated the ability to throw deft passes over pressers and hit long balls into the back. Most of the time he waited until the last moment to release it, just to ensure that some hearts stopped among the Tottenham faithful.

Most of Liverpool’s attempts required routine stops, but Kinsky denied Darwin Nunez with a superb attacking save in the second half before deftly turning the Uruguayan’s innovative effort around the post in stoppage time.

Are you watching, Guglielmo?

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