A Herculean effort from Tottenham Hotspur saw them narrowly edge out the holders Liverpool in the first leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final.
The first half was overshadowed by the lengthy stoppage caused by Rodrigo Bentancur’s significant injury. Tottenham have since stated that the midfielder is conscious and talking and has been taken to hospital for further checks.
The contest lacked rhythm as the break in play disrupted the flow from the opening exchanges.
Ange Postecoglou’s team certainly looked more dangerous than their opposition after the interval and spurned a glorious opportunity to take the lead.
Alisson was quickly closed down by the enthusiastic Lucas Bergvall which resulted in Pedro Porro receiving the ball six yards out from goal.
Instead of hitting the ball with vigour, the Spaniard opted to try and dink the Liverpool goalkeeper which missed the target.
However, Spurs would eventually get their goal with Bergvall rewarded for his tireless display.
Dominic Solanke latched onto a searching long pass from Porro before evading the attention of Ibrahima Konate and finding Bergvall who made no mistake.
Arne Slot cut a particularly frustrated figure on the touchline with the Dutchman adamant that the goalscorer should have been sent off.
The teenager dived into a challenge on Kostas Tsimikas whilst on a caution moments before his winner.
Postecoglou will be mightily proud of his players effort’s tonight as they became only the second team to beat the Premier League leaders all campaign.
Here’s our player ratings after that vital victory for Tottenham.
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Tottenham Player Ratings
Antonin Kinsky – 9
A real authoritative debut from Spurs’ newest signing. At an early glance, the 21-year-old goalkeeper looks very comfortable in possession and didn’t shy away from barking orders at his new teammates.
His long-range distribution could be a real asset for the Lilywhites as the Czech launched a plethora of raking passes upfield with the desired accuracy.
Kinsky reacted smartly to deny Darwin Nunez on two occasions and a clean sheet on his Tottenham debut is a promising sign for the future. One of the Spurs' best debutants in recent memory.
Pedro Porro – 8
Porro was often outnumbered by Liverpool’s left-flank pairing of Cody Gakpo and Tsimikas but dealt with the danger astutely.
The attack-minded defender should have put Tottenham in front midway through the second half but missed the target from close range after over-complicating his finish.
The right-back atoned for his earlier miss by manufacturing the winner.
He showed great technique to play a searching pass into Solanke who assisted the winner.
Radu Dragusin – 8
The Romanian arguably put in his best display for Tottenham to date with an imposing showing.
Dragusin was aerially dominant all evening in North London and looked very comfortable in possession, even venturing outside his usual realm with marauding runs.
His defensive instinct came to Spurs’ rescue in the second period as he scurried back to his goal-line to prevent Trent Alexander-Arnold’s rasping shot from breaching his net.
The centre-half played a integral role in Spurs' first clean sheet at home since October.
Archie Gray – 8.5
A commanding display from the versatile prodigy who thrived in the unnatural position of centre-half.
Gray’s maturity exceeds his tender age of 18 with his decision making being nigh on perfect against the Premier League’s most potent attack.
The former Leeds United player’s exemplar technique allows him to keep possession in risky situations.
Djed Spence – 8
The full-back kept the typically lively Mohamed Salah very quiet all evening with a focused display.
Spence was brave in possession and perfomed some intricate and cute tricks to evade the attention of the Liverpool press.
More than played his part in a rare clean sheet for Ange Postecoglou’s outfit.
Rodrigo Bentancur - N/A
It would be completely inappropriate to give Bentancur a rating after the midfielder was forced off with a serious injury.
The Uruguayan required oxygen and was stretchered off after a lengthy stoppage.
Yves Bissouma – 7
The midfielder had to be careful after he received an early yellow card from referee Stuart Attwell for impeding Diogo Jota.
In the past, Bissouma’s ill-discipline has been his downfall. But tonight the Malian kept his composure to help earn a priceless victory for the Lilywhites.
Crucially kept the ball in tight areas and his solidity helped his side get over the line.
Lucas Bergvall – 9
A dazzling display from the teenager which was capped off with a well-executed finish for his first goal for Tottenham.
Bergvall took the responsibility of being the host’s creative outlet in his stride and tirelessly pressed throughout proceedings.
The midfielder should have had an assist after his incessant press on Alisson saw his side regain possession in the final third.
The 18-year-old delicately teed up Porro whose chip wasn’t the required finish and went wide.
Bergvall netted the decisive goal with an accurate strike into the bottom corner.
Another lung-busting run into the box was found by Dominic Solanke with a pass that allowed the Swede to hit it first time to send the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium into raptures. Deservedly Player of the Match.
Dejan Kulusevski – 7
A typically combative performance from the Swede. It certainly wasn’t his most productive showing of the season but he worked hard to cover every blade of grass.
The contest ended with the captain’s armband firmly around his bicep. It should come as no surprise with Kulusevski emerging as a leader amongst this Spurs squad this campaign.
Dominic Solanke – 8.5
Another selfless display from Tottenham’s focal point as he frequently tracked back to help his side nullify the sharpness of the opposition.
His contribution for the winner epitomised his endeavour and ungrudging attitude as he shrugged off Konate before setting up Bergvall with a perfectly weighted pass.
Solanke was slightly unfortunate not to get himself on the scoresheet as his clinical finish past Alisson was ruled out by VAR for offside.
Heung-min Son – 5
The Spurs skipper struggled to get involved with the attack and didn’t have many opportunites to directly trouble Conor Bradley.
Son played some neat touches in tight areas but didn’t threaten in the final third.
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Substitutes
Brennan Johnson – 6
Johnson was introduced much earlier than expected after Bentancur’s forced exit. Tonight wasn’t the Welshman’s most productive night for the Lilywhites but he battled hard for his team and kept Tsmikas occupied.
Timo Werner – 5
Provided some width and caused some issues for a tiring Liverpool defence. However, Werner’s end product left a lot to be desired.
