Ange Postecoglou's Spurs earn league cup semifinal first leg lead over Liverpool

Tottenham Hotspur took a step towards their first final under manager Ange Postecoglou with a 1-0 victory over Liverpool in the first leg of their League Cup semi-final. Post-match, Postecoglou admitted it was an "emotional period" for him.

"I’m a human being," Postecoglou said after the game. "I don't like that the people at this football club, our supporters, aren't feeling the joy of success. That weighs heavily on me." In this match, young player Lucas Bergvall scored his first goal for Spurs, beating Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson with a brilliant shot in the 86th minute, securing the win for the injury-hit home side. Previously, a goal from Dominic Solanke was disallowed.

There was also some controversy in the game, with Liverpool believing the 18-year-old should have been sent off for a second foul before his goal. Bergvall was initially shown a yellow card for a tackle on Luis Diaz, and then he also tackled Kostas Tsimikas, but the referee did not issue any further card. Liverpool’s Virgil van Dijk told Sky Sports after the match: “I think it was clear he should have had a second yellow. I think it was clear. The referee made a mistake in my opinion, I told him. He thought he didn’t, but I felt it was clear, everyone on the side felt it should have been a yellow.”

Liverpool manager Arne Slot was furious about this and was shown a yellow card for protesting. At the time, Tsimikas was waiting on the sidelines to come back on, and Liverpool were temporarily down to 10 men. Liverpool won the competition for the 10th time last season by defeating Chelsea, but they were below par in this match, ending their 24-game unbeaten run in all competitions. Tottenham Hotspur have only won 3 of their last 14 matches in all competitions, and injuries have severely weakened Postecoglou’s squad. The home side's situation looked even worse when their midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur was stretchered off early in the game after a worrying fall. New goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky made his debut in this match.

Despite Liverpool finishing both halves strongly, they looked listless for much of Wednesday's game. Earlier this season, Postecoglou had claimed that he would always win a trophy in his second season managing a club, but recent results have put the Australian under significant pressure. However, the fans were chanting his name at the end of the game as their first trophy since the 2008 League Cup moved closer. The match was also memorable for another reason, with referee Stuart Attwell announcing a VAR review live to the crowd for the first time in an English game. Attwell announced via a wireless microphone to the crowd at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and TV viewers that Solanke's 76th-minute goal was disallowed for offside, very similar to how referees do in the NFL or Rugby League. “If people think that the announcements tonight added anything to the game, I’m sorry,” Postecoglou said. “The old way was a flag goes up, and you get on with it, but whatever.”

Slot's side have suffered only their second defeat of the season, but they will still be confident of turning the tie around in the second leg at Anfield next month. On Tuesday, Newcastle United beat Arsenal 2-0 away in the other semi-final first leg.