Tottenham Edge Liverpool to take semifinal advantage

Tottenham Hotspur secured a narrow 1-0 advantage in the first leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final against Liverpool, but the victory was marred by controversy surrounding the winning goal.

Lucas Bergvall scored the decisive goal for Spurs four minutes from time, but Liverpool were left furious that the 18-year-old was still on the pitch to make the decisive contribution. Bergvall had already been booked when he caught Kostas Tsimikas with a late challenge, an incident missed by referee Stuart Attwell.

Tsimikas was still receiving treatment off the pitch when Bergvall scored moments later, prompting a furious reaction from Liverpool manager Arne Slot, who was subsequently cautioned.

While Tottenham deserved the win based on their overall performance, with Pedro Porro missing a golden opportunity and Dominic Solanke having a goal ruled out for offside, the circumstances surrounding their victory will leave a sour taste for Liverpool, who suffered only their second defeat under Slot.

Spurs’ Young Guns Shine

Despite missing several key players through injury and illness, Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou showed faith in his young stars, and they delivered. Bergvall impressed with his maturity in midfield, while 21-year-old goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky, making his debut after a recent transfer from Slavia Prague, produced a confident display, notably denying Darwin Nunez with a superb late save.

Liverpool Left Fuming

Liverpool will feel aggrieved by the officiating, particularly the decision to allow Bergvall to remain on the pitch after his challenge on Tsimikas. Aside from the controversy, Liverpool were far from their best, producing an uncharacteristically sloppy and lacklustre performance.

Despite fielding a strong side, including Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah, Liverpool struggled to create clear-cut chances and were fortunate not to concede earlier. Substitute Nunez had a couple of opportunities late on, but Spurs ultimately held on for a valuable victory.

Liverpool will be hoping to overturn the deficit in the second leg at Anfield, but they will need to improve significantly on this disappointing display.