Tottenham Hotspur defeated Liverpool 1-0 in the Carabao Cup semifinal first leg Wednesday night, thanks to a controversial goal from Lucas Bergvall.
Overall, the quality of the match was substandard and both teams looked far off their best. The first half was marred by Spurs player Rodrigo Bentancur having to be stretchered off after apparently collapsing on the pitch during a corner kick. Both sets of fans applauded the player as he came off the field.
Spurs released an encouraging statement after the game, saying the player “is conscious and speaking,” and will be taken to the hospital for further assessment.
Shortly after, Liverpool center-back Jarell Quansah had to be removed after suffering an apparent injury. After the match, Liverpool manager Arne Slot clarified that the Englishman was feeling ill, and had nothing to do with injury.
The long breaks in play meant that the first half received eleven minutes of stoppage time, although it felt as though the first half could have been playing an extra thirty minutes and neither team would still score.
The second half saw much improved play. Liverpool right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold came on as a substitute and had a shot cleared off the line. Former Liverpool player Dominic Solanke found the back of the net for Spurs shortly after, although the goal was ruled out when the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) deemed the player was offside in the build-up.
It seemed the match was headed for a 0-0 stalemate until 18-year-old Lucas Bergvall broke the deadlock by scoring his first-ever goal for Tottenham Hotspur. The goal was scored in controversial circumstances as the young Swede made an erratic challenge on Liverpool left-back Kostas Tsimikas worthy of a yellow card. Since the player was already on a yellow, Bergvall should have seen an automatic red card. Instead, he stayed on the pitch and scored the winning goal, much to the dismay of the Reds.
The semifinal’s second leg will be played next month at Anfield, and Liverpool will be looking to hit back at the 1-0 aggregate lead Spurs took. Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk spoke to the media after the game to say he is ‘looking forward’ to the next leg:
“I think we created good moments [and] good opportunities at times, not really clear-cut chances in my opinion, but still enough that we could have scored,” he said.
“Like I said, it’s half-time and we have another 90-plus minutes to go and like I said, I am really looking forward to that.”
