It is rare for Liverpool to lose in controversial circumstances, but they have a chance to redeem themselves at Anfield a month later after Tottenham scored a late goal to win 1-0.
Tottenham 1-0 Liverpool
Carabao Cup semi-final 1st leg | Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
January 7, 2025
Goal: Bergvall 86′
1. Lucky Lucas, unlucky Liverpool
There is a lot of talk about luck at the top level of English football at the moment. One week it’s Arsenal xG, the next week another team is injured and there’s no shortage of excuses as to why other teams haven’t been as good as Liverpool so far. This season.
But this time Liverpool will feel they were unlucky, as a player who probably shouldn’t have been on the pitch scored the only goal of the game, giving Spurs the advantage from the first leg.
Lukas Bergvall’s foul on Kostas Tsimikas looked like the most obvious yellow card, but referee Stuart Attwell did not award it.
Only then did Bergvall remember that he had already received a yellow and should have been sent off.
Bergvall scored after former Red Dominic Solanke put in a great performance against a still rusty Ibrahima Konate, but the immediate thought was that there was no yellow card and that Tsimikas was still off the pitch. I moved on to the fact that I was there.
Commentators mentioned it and Arne Slott’s assistant was wanted for protesting on the touchline.
Even if Spurs have been unlucky this season, especially with the number of injuries, there is no doubt that they have been lucky here, and it all comes down to the second leg at Anfield.
2. Van Dijk is world class even in defeat
Although it wasn’t the most high-profile or memorable game, Van Dijk quietly excelled once again, not only in the heart of defence, but also in the heart of the Liverpool team.
From winning headers to organizing the backline with multiple personnel changes around him, he is one of the best defenders and captains the club has ever had.
Spurs would have scored immediately after Alisson’s error had it not been for an important block from the Dutchman.
He can seem slow at times, but when he gets into sprint mode he can keep up with the fastest players, and he did just as well in the second half against Brennan Johnson.
Before the game, one of Spurs’ mascots shouted at Van Dijk: “Come to Tottenham, we don’t have a good defender at the moment”, which was no doubt a sign of pure appreciation for the world-class defender. It was the same as people’s thoughts.
3. A subwoofer spices things up.
A slight rotation in the slot meant they had a lot of potentially game-changing options on the bench.
Darwin Nunez had several chances from great balls from Salah, but the angle was against him.
Trent Alexander-Arnold almost scored with a typically technical shot, but the ball was cleared over the line by Radu Dragusin.
Slott has said recently that he’s happy with his team, and games like this one show why he says that. The reason for the defeat was not the lack of quality players on the pitch.
There is no urgent need to add reinforcements unless someone is released, but clubs should always take the opportunity to strengthen their squad.
4. Endo returns to the back
As per tradition, Liverpool have a defensive midfielder who can also act as a centre-back in emergencies.
Slott has repeatedly said he does not want Konate to play more minutes in a week, having played the full game against Man United just after returning from injury.
So when Jarrell Quansah was injured midway through the first half, it was Wataru Endo who came off the bench to play alongside Van Dijk rather than Konate.
Endo seemingly excels as a centre-back, which is perhaps not surprising considering he played this position regularly during his time in Japan.
Wataru Endo has played more games at center back than in midfield during his career. Image: Transfermarkt.
— James Nalton (@jdnalton.bsky.social) 2025-01-08T20:50:30.031Z
He’s better in the air than you’d expect given his height of just under 6 feet, and he’s naturally good at reading the game.
Endo may have been disappointed not to start in midfield in this cup match, but he made some good interventions, provided a good outlet in the build-up, and showed his worth to the team.
Ideal 5th choice center back.
5. The second leg is a little further away
The next cup game is just three days away, and that game is against Accrington Stanley in the third round of the FA Cup.
The second leg of this semi-final is still nearly a month away, so we might need to remind ourselves of the score of this unforgettable match in February.
The Accrington game will give Slott a chance to rotate again and get everyone in the squad into shape before Premier League play resumes.
When the league resumes next week, they are expected to face a difficult trip to Nottingham Forest, who are the only team in the league to have beaten the slot so far.
Everything from this game to Saturday and into next week will see us halfway through the journey to the City Ground in less than a week.
