Tottenham Hotspur secured a surprise 1-0 victory over holders Liverpool in the first leg of their League Cup semi-final on Wednesday night, courtesy of Lucas Bergvall’s first goal for the club.
The 18-year-old Swede rifled a superb finish past Liverpool keeper Alisson in the 86th minute, rewarding a resilient Tottenham performance against the league leaders.
Liverpool, who were far from their best, saw a Dominic Solanke goal ruled out by VAR. They also had legitimate cause for complaint when Bergvall, already booked, escaped a second yellow card for a foul on Kostas Tsimikas moments before scoring the winner.
“He should have been off, it was a big moment,” lamented Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk.
Despite the defeat, Jürgen Klopp’s side will still be confident of overturning the deficit in the second leg at Anfield next month.
In the other semi-final, Newcastle United secured a commanding 2-0 victory over Arsenal away from home on Tuesday.
Tottenham, decimated by injuries, had managed only three wins in their previous 14 matches across all competitions. The loss of midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur early in the game added to their woes.
However, Ange Postecoglou’s side showed great resilience, with Bergvall emerging as the hero. The young Swede became Tottenham’s youngest scorer in the League Cup since Gareth Bale in 2007.
While Postecoglou’s position had come under scrutiny following a string of poor results, the victory provided a much-needed boost for the Australian manager.
The first half saw both sides create chances. Radu Dragusin had an early effort saved by Alisson, while Mohamed Salah, unusually quiet, fired one effort wide for Liverpool.
After the break, Alisson almost gifted Tottenham the lead with a hesitant pass, but Pedro Porro was unable to capitalise.
Liverpool almost took the lead when Trent Alexander-Arnold, on as a substitute, saw his shot cleared off the line. However, it was Tottenham who ultimately prevailed, with Bergvall’s late strike sending the home fans into raptures.
Fans sang manager Ange Postecoglou’s name as Tottenham moved a step closer to silverware, although they know there is still much work to do.
