Tottenham 1 Liverpool 0: Bergvall’s winner, Bentancur stretched, Castle’s side toothless

On January 9, 2025By Littum

Lucas Bergvall’s first Tottenham Hotspur goal moved his side ahead of Liverpool in the race to reach the Carabao Cup final after he fired them to a 1-0 win in north London.

In Wednesday’s semi-final first leg at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Ange Postecoglou and Arne Slott’s side largely canceled each other out until 18-year-old Bergvall, after Dominic Solanke had been ruled out by a VAR offside call, swept home the only goal. the match in the 86th minute.

Spurs’ night had got off to a worrying start with midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur having to be stretchered off after challenging an early corner, but ahead of next month’s second leg at Anfield they will have a slight advantage.

Jack Pitt-Brooke, Jay Harris and Andy Jones break down the highlights from Wednesday’s opening semi-final.

What happened to Rodrigo Bentancur?

The first half was dominated by a lengthy stoppage after just six minutes when Tottenham midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur went down and required treatment.

Bentancur had gone down while heading the ball forward at the near post and the crowd’s attention was initially on Son Heung-min and Radu Dragusin’s attempts to capitalize on the opportunity.

But it soon became clear that Bentancur was lying on the ground in the penalty area, and the players quickly called the medical staff.

After a long time on Bentancur, staff moved him onto a stretcher and then took him off, with the Uruguay international wearing an oxygen mask. At halftime, Bentancur was reported to be conscious and talking and was taken to the hospital for further checks.

Rodrigo Bentancur was carried off early in the first half (John Walton/PA Images via Getty Images)

Jack Pitt-Brooke

Bergvall’s big moment

Since Lucas Bergvall made his first start for Spurs in the Premier League against Southampton last month, he has grown in stature with every game.

The 18-year-old clearly needed a few months to adapt to the physicality of English football after joining Tottenham from Swedish side Djurgarden in the summer. He was exceptional against Newcastle United on Saturday and followed that up with another impressive performance against Liverpool.

The midfielder is so comfortable receiving the ball under pressure and confidently drives forward with it. He has also formed an excellent understanding with his close friend Dejan Kulusevski.

Lucas Bergvall controls the ball under pressure from Liverpool’s Curtis Jones (Harry Murphy – Danehouse/Getty Images)

He can be rash though, and was extremely lucky to stay on the field on Wednesday night. He was booked for a wild challenge on Luis Diaz in the 67th minute and 10 minutes later he almost obliterated Ryan Gravenberch. Then, when Liverpool were on the counter, he dived into a tackle on Kostas Tsimikas. Virgil van Dijk protested, but the referee did not send Bergvall off.

A minute later, the Sweden international swept the ball past Alisson after great work from Solanke to turn Ibrahima Konate. Liverpool manager Slot went berserk on the touchline and was booked for complaining.

Bergvall didn’t care as he jumped in front of the Spurs fans with pure joy on his face. The teenager’s first goal for Spurs could not have come at a better time.

Jay Harris

Did both teams pull their punches?

The last time Liverpool were here in the league, it was an exciting encounter: a 6-3 away win which could have yielded even more goals.

But this was a much closer affair, a narrow 1-0 win for Spurs. Very little happened in the first half and the second half steadily improved without ever really opening up.

For a long time here it felt as if both teams were happy to play a patient game, conserve resources and focus on getting through to next month’s second leg at Anfield.

This would make perfect sense for both teams. Of course, Tottenham don’t want to risk too much until they have players back and can play something more like their natural high-tempo game than the slower, modified brand they currently play. Liverpool will want to return to Anfield in front of their own fans and take advantage of the atmosphere there.

And with both teams struggling with injuries while trying to compete on multiple fronts, neither side can afford to lose more players.

But while Liverpool never quite got going, it was Spurs who were able to turn up their physicality in the second half. Solanke had a goal disallowed for a marginal offside, but he still had the energy to dominate Konate and set up the winner for Bergvall, who never stopped running all night.

Jack Pitt-Brooke

Alexander-Arnold gives an answer

The big talking point for Liverpool’s team selection was the inclusion of Conor Bradley at right-back, with Trent Alexander-Arnold dropping to the bench.

Alexander-Arnold came in for some criticism after his disappointing display against Manchester United on Sunday. The build-up to that match also saw him at the center of attention as speculation about his future increased following Real Madrid’s enquiry.

Having played a lot of football due to Bradley’s absence, Slot took the opportunity to rotate both of their full-backs, with Tsimikas being chosen in place of Andy Robertson.

Alexander-Arnold, who is in the final six months of his contract, watched from the bench as Bradley impressed. In his first start since returning from injury, the Northern Ireland international produced the typical high-energy, tough tackling we’ve come to expect.

Slot introduced Alexander-Arnold on the hour mark and the 26-year-old looked a lot more like his normal self, particularly in possession, as he helped improve what had been a toothless attacking performance from Liverpool.

He came closest to scoring but his effort was cleared off the line by Radu Dragusin and, although Liverpool conceded, there was little he could do to prevent it. With Bradley back fit, Alexander-Arnold now has competition, but this was a cameo that should help build his confidence.

Trent Alexander-Arnold came on as a second-half substitute (Justin Tallis/AFP via Getty Images)

Andy Jones

Antonin Kinsky had only trained with his new team-mates twice after officially joining Spurs on Sunday before being thrust into the opener against Liverpool. It would have been understandable if the 21-year-old was nervous on his debut, but he oozed confidence.

This is only his first appearance for Tottenham so it is important not to get carried away, but he is far better with the ball at his feet than Fraser Forster or Brandon Austin and potentially Guglielmo Vicario. He sprayed passes around the pitch with ease and often chipped the ball over Mohamed Salah into the path of Djed Spence.

He produced an accurate long-range pass to Son Heung-min in the first half, which almost led to a goal-scoring opportunity for Dominic Solanke. Ange Postecoglou turned to Kinsky and patted him.

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The Czech international stayed high off his line to sweep up any loose balls and there was a moment when he returned to the box, kicked the ball over the head of Diogo Jota and calmly plucked it from the air.

He also made a couple of routine saves from Alexis Mac Allister and Cody Gakpo, and a very good one from Darwin Nunez. Tottenham have signed Kinsky to give Vicario competition and given the quality of the opposition, he passed his first test with flying colors.

Jay Harris

How big a blow is Quansah’s injury to Liverpool?

With Joe Gomez picking up a hamstring injury against West Ham United on 29 December and Konate still building match fitness having only just returned from injury, the last thing Liverpool needed was another injury at centre-back.

The sight of Jarell Quansah sitting down clutching his back leg less than 30 minutes into the game against Tottenham was not what head coach Arne Slot wanted to see.

Konate was on the bench, but with Slot keen not to overuse the France international and risk another injury, they opted to get creative by bringing in defensive midfielder Wataru Endo to replace Quansah and partner Virgil van Dijk.

Endo, who also operated in that role in the second half against Southampton in the previous round, adapted well to the role. His composure on the ball helped Liverpool take better control of a game that saw them create their own problems with a series of errors in possession.

Jarell Quansah talks to Arne Slot after being forced off (Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)

It’s a disappointment for Quansah, who had the opportunity to impress after Gomez’s injury. It has been a difficult campaign for the 21-year-old – and he did not start the game in a confident manner – and he could now miss a period where he would have played more regularly.

The problem for Slot is that with a busy January schedule ahead, he is reduced to just two recognized senior center backs. Van Dijk and Konate have been Slot’s first-choice partnership when all have been available, but he will have to be creative if he wants to rest them at any point.

Endo is now likely to play at centre-back against Accrington Stanley in the FA Cup, but the question to be answered is: who will partner him?

Andy Jones

What next for Spurs?

Sunday, January 12: Tamworth (A), FA Cup third round, 12.30 GMT, 7.30 ET

What next for Liverpool?

Saturday 11 January: Accrington Stanley (H), FA Cup third round, at 12.15 GMT, at 7.15 ET