As it happened: Ange Postecoglou’s Tottenham edge Liverpool 1-0 in League Cup semi-final

Lucas Bergvall’s first goal for Tottenham secured a 1-0 win over Liverpool in the English League Cup semifinals on Wednesday in a first-leg match notable for a serious-looking injury to Rodrigo Bentancur and the first in-stadium announcement by a referee in the English game.

The 18-year-old Bergvall slotted home the winner in the 86th minute following a pass from Dominic Solanke, who thought 10 minutes earlier that he had given Tottenham the lead. That goal was ruled out after a VAR check for offside and referee Stuart Attwell communicated the decision via a wireless microphone to spectators inside Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and to TV viewers.

Ange Postecoglou celebrates with his players.Credit: Getty Images

In the sixth minute, Bentancur — the Uruguay midfielder who plays for Tottenham — fell to the ground and lay prone after landing awkwardly when attempting a header from a corner. He was carried off on a stretcher, to applause from around the ground, after receiving treatment during a 10-minute delay.

The second leg is at Anfield on Feb. 6.

Newcastle leads Arsenal 2-0 after the first leg of the other semifinal match.

Liverpool, the defending League Cup champion, saw its 24-match unbeaten run in all competitions come to an end and there was a hint of controversy about only the team’s second loss of the season.

Visiting players and manager Arne Slot were unhappy that Bergvall was on the field to score what proved to be the winning goal after he escaped collecting a second yellow card for a foul on Kostas Tsimikas moments earlier. Indeed, Tsimikas was off the field, waiting to come back on having received treatment following Bergvall’s tackle, when the Sweden midfielder tucked home his finish.

Slot earned a yellow card himself for his protests, though he shook Attwell’s hand after the final whistle.

Lucas Bergvall’s goal.Credit: Getty Images

“It was quite obvious it was going to be a second yellow,” Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk said. “A minute later he scores the winner.

“He (Attwell) made a mistake, in my opinion.”

It was a busy end to the match for Attwell, who took centre stage after there was a video review following Solanke’s strike in the 76th minute. After being notified that Solanke was offside, Attwell used the public address system to declare the goal had been ruled out, in an NFL-style announcement.

The League Cup semifinals were chosen to pilot a process in England that has been widely used in other sports, and in soccer at the Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand in 2023 and other FIFA events.

That’ll be the end of our live coverage this morning. What a game. What a result for Ange Postecoglou. Thanks for your company, see you next time.

Both coaches have now had their flash post-match interview. Ange Postecoglou wasn’t having the suggestion that Lucas Bergvall was lucky to not be sent off:

The rule is, and we’ve been told for quite a while now, that if advantage gets played, as long as it’s not a cynical tackle, then the yellow card doesn’t... because we’ve been screaming for it for the last two months. It’s happened to us consistently. Have a look at our games. And we’ve asked officials and they’ve said, if we play advantage, as long as it’s not a cynical tackle, then the yellow card doesn’t get paid. Now, to me, that was pretty clear.

Asked by the interviewer if Spurs are now closer to the trophy he says he always wins in his second season:

Yeah, well, you know, people can keep sort of mocking me about it. We’ll see, we’ll see, we’ll see.

Liverpool’s Arne Slot had this to say:

The moment it happens it’s more difficult to stay calm, but afterwards you have to accept the decision. And that’s what we have to do.

It didn’t feel to me as if we were ever going to lose here. You never know, in the moment things can change. This is what we saw.

The decision he made had a lot of impact on the result tonight. There’s nothing else I can say about it. I think everybody would tell you this.

Lucas Bergvall’s first goal for Tottenham secured a 1-0 win over Liverpool in the English League Cup semifinals on Wednesday in a first-leg match notable for a serious-looking injury to Rodrigo Bentancur and the first in-stadium announcement by a referee in the English game.

The 18-year-old Bergvall slotted home the winner in the 86th minute following a pass from Dominic Solanke, who thought 10 minutes earlier that he had given Tottenham the lead. That goal was ruled out after a VAR check for offside and referee Stuart Attwell communicated the decision via a wireless microphone to spectators inside Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and to TV viewers.

Ange Postecoglou celebrates with his players.Credit: Getty Images

In the sixth minute, Bentancur — the Uruguay midfielder who plays for Tottenham — fell to the ground and lay prone after landing awkwardly when attempting a header from a corner. He was carried off on a stretcher, to applause from around the ground, after receiving treatment during a 10-minute delay.

The second leg is at Anfield on Feb. 6.

Newcastle leads Arsenal 2-0 after the first leg of the other semifinal match.

Liverpool, the defending League Cup champion, saw its 24-match unbeaten run in all competitions come to an end and there was a hint of controversy about only the team’s second loss of the season.

Visiting players and manager Arne Slot were unhappy that Bergvall was on the field to score what proved to be the winning goal after he escaped collecting a second yellow card for a foul on Kostas Tsimikas moments earlier. Indeed, Tsimikas was off the field, waiting to come back on having received treatment following Bergvall’s tackle, when the Sweden midfielder tucked home his finish.

Slot earned a yellow card himself for his protests, though he shook Attwell’s hand after the final whistle.

Lucas Bergvall’s goal.Credit: Getty Images

“It was quite obvious it was going to be a second yellow,” Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk said. “A minute later he scores the winner.

“He (Attwell) made a mistake, in my opinion.”

It was a busy end to the match for Attwell, who took centre stage after there was a video review following Solanke’s strike in the 76th minute. After being notified that Solanke was offside, Attwell used the public address system to declare the goal had been ruled out, in an NFL-style announcement.

The League Cup semifinals were chosen to pilot a process in England that has been widely used in other sports, and in soccer at the Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand in 2023 and other FIFA events.

The Liverpool skipper just spoke on BeIN Sports:

Listen, I think it was quite obvious that it was going to be a second yellow. Obviously, I think I was pretty clear … a minute later, obviously, he scores the winner.

But, listen, it is what it is. [The referee] made a mistake, in my opinion, and I told him that. He thinks maybe he didn’t, but it was quite obvious, I think, and everyone on the sideline knew exactly that it was supposed to be a yellow.

The fact is that he should have been off. I think there’s a linesman there, there’s a fourth official there, there’s VAR, there’s the referee, and he doesn’t get a second yellow.

I’m not saying that this is the reason why we lost, of course, but it was a big moment in the game.

Virgil van Dijk of Liverpool.Credit: Getty Images

I was actually at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in late 2023 when another match was decided in Spurs’ favour against Liverpool when the VAR had a… let’s say, newsworthy malfunction. You can read about that here.

Reason I bring that up is that the decision to not send off Lucas Bergvall is probably going to be big news in football for the next few days, just like that little episode.

Liverpool have a corner. This might be the final action of the match, we’re into the eighth minute of stoppage time now… it’s sent in… Bissouma heads it away, it goes out for a throw. It’s taken, Bergvall gets the defensive header… another shot, blocked… now Liverpool are back towards halfway and surely that’s time?

Kinsky collects the ball. Spurs might be home...

They are. It’s full-time. Arne Slot’s Liverpool suffer a rare defeat. Ange’s Tottenham prevail 1-0!

My word. Kinsky again, sticks out a paw to deny a point-blank shot from Darwin Núñez. It goes out for a corner… Spurs clear the danger and now they’re on the attack!

Nothing comes of it. We’re deep into stoppage time by the way. Three minutes to go of it.

Tottenham Hotspur 1-0 Liverpool, 90+4 minutes

What a huge result this could be for Tottenham Hotspur and Ange Postecoglou - remember, there’s the second leg still to come, but they’ll have the advantage going into Anfield if it stays like this.

The stadium is buzzing, they can’t believe what they’re seeing!

Tottenham Hotspur 0-0 Liverpool, 88 minutes

Big dramas here for Lucas Bergvall who’s just slid in on Tsimikas and that looks like a yellow card offence… and he’ll hope it isn’t, because he’s already on one… play continues, but will be return to it when there’s a stoppage?

No. He’s gotten away with that. Dodged a red card. Liverpool will be furious. Although in his defence, the first yellow was quite soft.

OH AND THERE IT IS - THERE’S THE GOAL! IT’S BERGVALL TOO! MY GOODNESS. Spurs go from end to end, Konate can’t corral Solanke, he plays it inward, Bergvall is there and slams it home. Tottenham 1-0! And there’s only a few minutes to go!

You can see Arne Slot remonstrating with the assistant referee about that too. And you understand why. They’re so angry, the Reds.

Lucas Bergvall, what a moment.Credit: AP