Liverpool manager Arne Slot believes Tottenham Hotspur had a vital decision go their way in the build up to Lucas Bergvall’s 86th-minute winner in the Carabao Cup semi-finals on Wednesday.
Bergvall, 18, scored for the first time since May when he turned in Dominic Solanke’s pull-back to win the game for Spurs, and send them into the second-leg at Anfield with an advantage in four-week’s time.
Slot believes the decision was favourable of the hosts, and that his side dominated the game throughout after an early spell of supremacy from Tottenham.
He said: “I don’t think you’re interested in that [Bergvall’s goal]. I think you’re interested in the moment before.
“When I just walked in, I was thinking I saw Ange sitting here on Sunday, something happened and I think Spurs weren’t happy with a few decisions that were made on Sunday.
"Many people always say that this will eventually match up at the end of the season, I’m not one of them that believes that because sometimes you can be unlucky in a season, you can be lucky in a season.
“On Sunday a decision went against them. Today, maybe a decision went in favour of them which is, of course, very unlucky for us because I never felt that we were going to lose this game."
It marked the second game where Slot's side have failed to win after drawing 2-2 with Manchester United in an entertaining encounter on Sunday.
Slot: Being down to 10 for a few seconds is far from ideal
The Reds were on the back foot for much of the first moments, with Radu Dragustin and Solanke having clear-cut chances on goal before Slot’s side were much improved in the second period.
“Especially not after the first 15 to 20 minutes because I did feel Spurs started the game better than us,” Slot said: “But after that, in my opinion, we had most of the game controlled, played most of the game in their half, had much more ball possession.”
He added: “And then, yeah, a moment like this when you go down to 10 for a few seconds against a team that can play such good football like Tottenham can, it’s far from ideal.”
Jarell Quansah was forced off after just 30 minutes, and was replaced by Wataru Endo who played centre-back before the introduction of Ibrahima Konate later on in the game.
Quansah, who has managed to play only 180 minutes since the start of December, has suffered from recent illness, with Slot diverting the assumption that he was injured.
Slot said: “He didn’t feel very well, so from the moment the game started until the moment we had to take him off, he felt a bit of pressure.
“I think he said on his chest but it went so fast, he came on and the game started again so I have to ask him exactly but I think he said he didn’t feel really well.
“It was not an injury, but more not feeling really well. He was, though, in the last few days a bit ill but we thought he was on his way back, maybe that had something to do with it, I’ll have to ask but nothing to do with an injury.”
The defeat on Wednesday marked the end of Slot’s 24-game unbeaten run as Liverpool manager and was just his second loss since taking over from Jurgen Klopp left at the end of last season.
His side face Accrington Stanley in the FA Cup on the weekend in what is a perfect opportunity to rest some key players and prepare for an away trip to third-placed Nottingham Forest three days later.
