Carabao Cup offers lifeline for Postecoglou, Spurs to hang on to

LONDON — Ange Postecoglou needed this. Wednesday’s 1-0 win over Liverpool may not be enough to reach the Carabao Cup final with the semi-final second leg at Anfield looming, but it buys him precious time to steer Tottenham Hotspur’s season back on track.

The irony is that this vital result comes in a competition the 59-year-old manager hasn’t particularly set his sights on, and through a performance that represents something of a departure from the high-risk style that has tested the locals’ faith in this part of north London.

It was nothing like a complete abandonment of Postecoglou’s principles, but more of a compromise than we are used to seeing. Perhaps Rodrigo Bentancur’s early head injury knocked them off his stride, stretchered off and was taken to hospital in what Postecoglou subsequently described as “a rather disturbing sight”. Spurs later confirmed he was conscious and talking.

A line-up depleted by injury and the caliber of their opponents were also undoubtedly contributing factors. The first half was, atypically for Spurs, rather dull. Postecoglou’s behavior was also a notable departure from the norm; unusually expressive on the sidelines, sinking to his knees when Pedro Porro failed to capitalize on an early error in the second half from Alison Becker.

Dominic Solanke’s 77th-minute goal ruled out after VAR review for offside and a chance to debut referee announcements at the stadium confirming that yes, the man who could have been offside when he ran through to score was indeed offside , when he ran through and scored, prompting furious head-shaking.

Lucas Bergvall’s match-winning goal nine minutes later sparked jubilant celebrations, which resumed after the final whistle as Postecoglou kissed his loved ones and reveled in the celebration that greeted a result that took Spurs a step closer to their first trophy since 2008.

Postecoglou is normally a stoic figure, but a recent run of four wins from 15 games has put him under considerable pressure.

“It’s been an emotional time mate,” he explained. “I keep saying, I’m human. Like all of us, we’re in these roles as leaders, and I understand that we have positions of responsibility, but we’re still human at our core and we react to things.

“I don’t like the fact that people who work really hard for this club, on and off the pitch, haven’t had that feeling of victory. I don’t feel good about our supporters not having that feeling of victory.

“It weighs heavily on me. It’s my responsibility. So yes, I’m a little more emotional than I usually am, but it probably also means I don’t care, and I think that’s still important.”

This was only Liverpool’s second defeat under Arne Slot and Spurs achieved it with another patchwork team featuring a debutant, Antonin Kinskyin goal, a teenage right-back at centre-back i Archie Gray and out of favor Djed Spencerespectively The latter fared much better Mohamed Salah than in the 6-3 Premier League defeat here 17 days earlier.

It felt as if an element of pragmatism had crept into Tottenham’s approach, but Postecoglou suggested it was more by circumstance than design.

“People said my midfield system was a bit more conservative today, but that’s because I only had three midfielders to choose from,” he said. “The others weren’t available. We certainly did it the same way. Liverpool don’t allow you to do it the way other teams do and our players play every three days a game without rest.

“You saw Liverpool at the end, they put on some significant talent, some really good footballers. I couldn’t do the same. And yet the guys out there are consistently doing it. Maybe we’re not as dominant as we want to be, but there’s good reason, not for the lack of trying or some other intention.”

Liverpool rotated before kick-off, but Slot introduced Trent Alexander-Arnold, Luis Diaz and Darwin Núñez among his five substitutes in a bid to secure an advantage in the first leg. Alexander-Arnold had a shot cleared off the line and Núñez twice went close, but it was Spurs who struck late on and benefited from a dubious call from Stuart Attwell to let Bergvall go unpunished with what looked like a clear second yellow card for a late tackle on Kostas Tsimikas.

To make matters worse, Tsimikas was waiting to get back on the pitch when Solanke expertly turned and fed Bergvall, who whipped a fine low finish past Alisson.

“I don’t think there’s any debate about that,” Slot said of whether Bergvall should have been fired.

Given Liverpool’s buoyancy under the Dutchman, they will have high hopes of overturning the deficit on February 6.

Both teams have seven games between now and then. Liverpool have their Premier League title bid to focus on, while Tottenham’s run includes the north London derby at Arsenal and tricky trips to Everton and Brentford, all while what feels like a crucial transfer window remains open.

But for Postecoglou, there is now a fixed point of optimism on the horizon: a second leg where they have a pre-existing, if narrow, advantage to shine like a beacon through a challenging month. It will take another huge effort to complete the job and reach Wembley, but Postecoglou, for one, will feel reinvigorated for the game.