Tottenham will have a one-goal lead at Anfield in the second leg of their EFL Cup semi-final after narrowly beating the Premier League leaders in north London on Wednesday.
A goal from 18-year-old Lucas Bergvall four minutes from time proved the difference in a thrilling encounter at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
The contest, however, was marred by what appeared to be a very serious first-half injury to Rodrigo Bentancur, which resulted in the midfielder being taken to hospital.
Spurs have never been involved in a goalless draw during Ange Postecoglou’s tenure and the game appeared to be heading in that direction before Bergvall found the net to hand only Arne Sloto’s side their second defeat of the season.
It was Tottenham’s first win after defeating Manchester United in the EFL Round of 16.
Victory in the first game! 🙌 pic.twitter.com/ktX5W2OTjA
— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) January 8, 2025
Ahead of the game, Postecoglou cited his side’s long list of absent players as a factor in the drop in results in recent weeks, going so far as to say Salah would struggle to be productive in such an injury-hit squad.
And Spurs were dealt another blow when the returning Bentancuro had to be taken off after just six minutes and taken to hospital for treatment. .
Despite the change and subsequent long delay, it was Postecoglou’s side who started the brightest. The league leaders, meanwhile, were careless in possession.
Alisson had to be on his toes to keep out Radu Dragușin’s early effort, while Dominic Solanke shot wide after Son Heung-min’s cross.
Liverpool were also forced into a first-half change after Jarell Quansah was replaced by Wataru Endo.
The Reds then had a couple of half-chances as the half drew to a close, thanks to Salah and Cody Gakpo, but none of those efforts really worried Spurs new boy Antonin Kinksy.
“Unbelievable time to score your first goal for the club!” 🎙
Lucas Bergvall puts Spurs in the lead after 85 minutes of the first game! 💥 pic.twitter.com/NxZxPt9vLH
— Sky Sports Football (@SkyFootball) January 8, 2025
After the break, the Liverpool stopper was at the center of the action when Alisson was almost robbed by Bergvall as he tried to play in from the back.
The Brazilian fended off the first challenge but Bergvall came back for another bite, forcing the ball into the path of Pedro Porro, whose initial shot was blocked but then squandered the follow-up.
Kinsky was called into action again when he saved substitute Darwin Nunez. Dragusin then cleared Trent Alexander-Arnold – another of Sloto’s substitutes – off the line as the game began to open up.
With just under 15 minutes remaining, Spurs thought they had taken the lead when Porro’s pass found Solanke who ran away from the Reds defence.
But VAR ruled that the former Liverpool player was offside.
Ten minutes later, the home team scores an important goal. From Porro’s second pass, Solanke held off Ibrahima Konate before laying the ball to Bergvall who finished well from inside the box for his first goal for Spurs.
The visitors were left frustrated that Bergvall was even on the field to score after avoiding a second yellow card for a foul on Konstantinos Tsimikas just before the goal.
In the end, the Swede’s strike proved enough to give Spurs a slim lead in the second leg at Anfield on February 6.
