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It’s a bit early to say this was a night when Tottenham Hotspur’s young team came of age, but this was an impressive show of maturity when they most needed it. It might well save their season, just as Liverpool’s has a slight sense of lag. The Premier League leaders were still very energised about the Lucas Bergvall goal that won this Carabao Cup semi-final first leg, with complaints that the goalscorer should have had a second booking eventually seeing Arne Slot unusually losing his cool.
It was symbolic of a display where Liverpool were nowhere near the smoothness of the opening months of the campaign. Duly, this was the first time this season they went two games without a win, after Sunday’s 2-2 draw against Manchester United.
The night looked like it could be overshadowed by a concerning moment where Rodrigo Bentancur looked like he lost consciousness for an eight-minute stoppage, but Spurs mercifully reported he was awake and speaking and was going to hospital for further checks.
His teammates went and won the match for him, something all the more impressive given many of them lost 6-3 to the same opposition just weeks ago.
The tie is of course far from over given they have to play at Anfield in a month, but it did feel something of a recharge for Spurs. Ange Postecoglou so badly needed this, even as no one outside of Spurs would have expected anything.
They have had so many injuries, to the point emergency goalkeeping signing Antonin Kinsky had to immediately make his debut. They have had worse form, with all the good feeling from Postecoglou’s time dropping to a drudgery of so many defeats, amid debates about the manager’s style.
You wouldn’t have guessed any of that had you just watched this game on its own terms. It was not just one of Spurs’ tightest displays of the season, but also one of their sharpest. They gave little away, while causing Liverpool repeated problems, at least in the second half. That played into the opposition’s significant drop-off. It was actually a continuation of Liverpool’s performance against Manchester United, which may raise a slight concern for Arne Slot.
There were changes, of course, but it was still a strong team. Even Wataru Endo, on as a centre-half sub for Jarell Quansah, has at least played in that position before.
A lack of synchronicity was seen in Mohammed Salah needlessly taking the ball off Alexis Mac Allister’s foot when a shot was there to be hit, before powering it over the bar. There were otherwise long periods when they didn’t trouble Kinsky at least in terms of efforts on goal.
One one occasion the impressive debutant was beaten, with a superbly speared Trent Alexander-Arnold volley, Radu Dragusin was there to clear the ball off the line.
Kinsky did have one moment of slight hesitation when he was pressed with the ball at his feet in the first half, but it was nothing like that which a much more experienced goalkeeper in Alisson endured in the second.
The Brazilian attempted one of his Cruyff turns in the box against Bergvall, only for the midfielder to get up and immediately subject Alisson to embarrassment himself by clipping the ball away to him. Pedro Porro then had a shot blocked before a clever pass from Bergvall slipped him back in.
The full-back clipped it over Alisson with impudence… but also a bit too much width. The ball curved just wide.
There was a growing sense of Liverpool just asking for a bit more trouble than they usually do, and Spurs increasingly fancying it. They looked like they had it on 80 minutes, Dominic Solanke seemed to finally get the better of their high line, surging in on goal to slide the ball past Alisson.
You couldn’t have said it wasn’t deserved. It just wasn’t confirmed. Solanke had strayed marginally offside and, after a long delay, referee Stuart Atwell finally announced to the stadium – in a new measure – that the goal was being ruled out.
Liverpool just didn’t learn their lesson. They were still being opened with unusual ease. Only minutes after that disallowed goal they had a legitimate one. Bergvall, one of Spurs’ best players on a fine night, deservedly got it.
Someone who was almost as impressive, in Porro, initially played the searching ball that just went through Liverpool. That saw Solanke collect after physically getting the better of Ibrahima Konate. The ball was played back to Bergvall who slotted in the neatest of finishes. Alisson had no chance. Liverpool still had some grievances. Bergvall could have gone for a second yellow from a challenge on Kostas Tsimikas even before the goal.
Liverpool could have little complaint about the final result, though. Spurs have a toe in the final, although with a leg at Anfield to come.
It may define their season. Liverpool need a slight recharge in theirs.
