Carabao Cup Semi-Final First Leg

TOTTENHAM 1 (Bergvall 86)
LIVERPOOL 0

HAS the real Tottenham Hotspur emerged from a winter freeze that has seen them slide down the table?

On a bitterly cold night tonight (Wednesday), Spurs’ first leg Carabao Cup deconstruction of Liverpool, opponents manager Ange Postecoglou called “currently the best team in the world”, certainly suggests a thaw in form.

And after seeing his 18-year-old midfielder Lucas Bergvall cap a man-of-the-match display with a late winner, the under pressure boss was full of pride and optimism.

Postecoglou’s young team – with 18-year-old Archie Gray as a makeshift centre-back again, Djed Spence, 21, in at left-back, debut boy Antonin Kinsky, 21, in goal, and Bergvall central – showed no fear.

Speaking afterwards, Postecoglou heaped praise on the youngsters and said he aimed to be in the dugout long enough to see them reach the levels their talent suggests they can.

He said: “I am so happy they are at our football club and in two or three years time I pray to God I’m the beneficiary of their talent – because if somebody else is getting it, I will not be happy.”

Bergvall, who fans have said has the Gazza swagger about him, had shown how ready he was to step up during the 2-1 defeat against Newcastle on Saturday.

Tonight, with James Maddison and Pape Matar Sarr suspended, Bergvall had a slick Liverpool midfield to contend with. That Rodrigo Bentancur was taken off injured in frightening circumstances early on did not faze him.

Postecoglou added: “Lucas was brilliant. I have not lost sight of the fact we have two 18-year-olds, one at centre-back that isn’t his position. Name me another Premier League team that has that? I don’t think people understand the level of performance that these young guys are giving us at the moment.

“We have been dealing with adversity, but there is good growth in that. It has been masked by poor results. I have no doubt the foundations are really strong, with a group of players we can really grow with. I am very proud.”

Tonight, match-winner Bergvall was at the centre of late controversy. He had thrown himself into a challenge that was surely a second yellow – but referee Stuart Atwell let Liverpool have the advantage. They made nothing of it, and Bergvall stayed on the pitch and was on hand soon after to score the only goal of the game.

The awful form has seen Spurs win just one in seven, and against Liverpool they began as clear underdogs.

However, someone had forgotten to tell the kids. They set off at a lick, nerves washed away by the fact no one expected much – after all, Liverpool had scored six last month in N17.

Dominic Solanke immediately showed intent, while Heung-Min Son buzzed and created. Tottenham were riddled with determination, and Liverpool looked uncharacteristically disjointed and hurried, though Mohamed Salah flashed a shot narrowly wide early on.

Spurs had to overcome Bentancur’s removal. A spell of pressure saw a corner won. Bentancur went for the low, angled cross and did not get up. He did not clash with anyone else – and such was the severity of his situation, no replays were shown.

Gray immediately spotted something was wrong, and medics spent 10 minutes looking after the stricken midfielder. Thankfully, the club confirmed he was conscious and speaking to doctors, and would be spending a night under observation.

It could have been just the moment to unsettle what had otherwise, so far, been impressive – a handy excuse if Liverpool began to crank it up.

Instead, the home side kept at it, and made Alisson get his knees and gloves muddy in a bright first half.

Liverpool came out for the second 45 stirred, while Spurs were less committed to the high press as they had been. Dropping deeper gave the visitors extra space to go back and forth as they looked for openings. But the back four – well marshalled by Gray, who was relishing every battle – held firm.

There were scares. Substitute Trent Alexander-Arnold managed to finally beat Kinsky, just to see Radu Dragusin clear off the line.

Up the other end, Pedro Porro nearly broke the deadlock after some excellent hustling by Bergvall: the Swede buzzed about Alisson, and the goalkeeper couldn’t handle it. Porro’s first effort was blocked, his second bite spun the wrong side of the post.

Another big moment – that in the past might have been terminal to the side’s spirit – came on 78. Solanke was played in by the pass of the night by Porro: the full-back spun an inch-perfect through ball into his path. The big striker stormed forward and finished calmly, but a protracted VAR wait found Solanke had drifted a fraction offside.

Solanke, though, wasn’t going to let it rile him. As the game built up to a tired and frantic conclusion, another Porro long ball saw Solanke outmuscle Ibrahima Konate. Bergvall arrived in space and on cue to get on the end of Solanke’s cut back to smash home.

The return leg is early February. Postecoglou will hopefully have experienced regulars back by then. His challenge now is to weave his teenage sensations into the fabric of the side ahead of the trip to Anfield.

Tottenham: Kinsky, Spence, Gray, Dragusin, Porro, Bentancur (Johnson, 15), Bergvall, Bissouma, Son (Werner, 71), Solanke, Kulusevski
Substitutes not used: Austin, Reguilon, Min-Hyeok, Lankshear, Moore, Dorrington, Olusesi

Liverpool: Alisson, Tsimikas, van Dijk, Quansah (Edno, 30), Bradley (Alexander-Arnold, 60), Mac Allister (Konate, 80), Gravenberch, Jones, Gakpo (Diaz, 60), Salah, Jota (Nunez, 60)
Substitutes not used: Kelleher, Chiesa, Elliott, Robertson