Spurs were worried it would focus on a new angle on VAR suffering. In the 77th minute of this Carabao Cup semi-final, Spurs’ lead appeared to have been broken by Dominic Solanke. Pedro Porro’s seeking through-ball resulted in a beautiful finish and a goal with significant narrative potential. Recall that this was a striker who had previously struggled with enjoyment while playing for Liverpool.
Stuart Attwell, the referee, steps in to clarify that Solanke was offside in real time and with a microphone. It was a little startling when Attwell whistled into his microphone. Nevertheless, a surprise would be in store. For Spurs, it was a magnificent one, and it reignited their desire to win a trophy for the first time since 2008. On top of that, one to make Liverpool mad. Spurs’ incredibly gifted midfielder Lucas Bergvall should have received a red card for spitting on Kostas Tsimikas. His yellow card had already been issued.
With the clock ticking down to its final tick, Bergvall galloped onto a cut-back from Solanke and slashed past Alisson. The stadium fell into chaos. Liverpool encountered an unusual obstacle in the form of recriminations while playing under Arne Slot.
At the moment, Ange Postecoglou does not have an abundance of options when it comes to making selections; how he must envy Slot, whose excellent starting eleven was deliberate. For the quarterfinal victory over Southampton, he had left some important players on Merseyside. This is not the place. His bench, too, seemed to be making a message.
The specters of Liverpool’s prior visit were all too apparent; that was the 6-3 league victory just before Christmas, a score that favored Spurs. While Postecoglou is notoriously uncompromising, he has made a few adjustments recently, such as making the midfield a little more sturdy and reducing the amount of bombing on by the full-backs.
Prior to the early going, Postecoglou had Yves Bissouma and Rodrigo Bentancur up front of the back four, but he was compelled to make a substitution. After Son Heung-min sent a Spurs corner back into the danger zone and Radu Dragusin made a brilliant stop off of Alisson, it was unclear what had happened to Bentancur.
Players on both sides immediately waved for the medics to come help Bentancur, who had dove headfirst into a stooping header from the first delivery and was motionless. After around eight minutes of treatment, Bentancur was transferred to a waiting ambulance on a stretcher. Worry levels were heightened because there were no TV replays of the occurrence at the time it occurred. At halftime, the Spurs announced that Bentancur was alert, communicating, and on his way to the hospital for a checkup.
Postecoglou shifted Dejan Kulusevski inside, brought on Brennan Johnson for the right wing, and the formation shifted to a 4-3-3, with Lucas Bergvall occupying the middle of the field for the majority of the match. Bissouma was careless with the ball despite the heavy burden of responsibility; he fouled Diogo Jota in the first half and received a yellow card.
When they had the ball, Liverpool made a lot of mistakes and got off to a poor start. Some necessitated rechecks. Oh, my God! Just before halftime, Jarell Quansah left the field due to an illness, forcing Slot’s squad to reorganize. Next up was Wataru Endo, who has experience playing center defense for Southampton.
After a first half that included eleven extra minutes, Liverpool began to gain ground. At right back, Conor Bradley was a force to be reckoned with, starting the game before Trent Alexander-Arnold. Overlaps up the left side gave the visitors a chance to come in.
Before halftime, chances were high. Dominic Solanke, in the center forward position, was unable to convert Son’s 22nd-minute cross with a backheel. There was a chance that Solanke was offside.
The finest chance for Liverpool came when Alexis Mac Allister was set up by a cross from Kostas Tsimikas. Antonin Kinsky, who had been immediately thrown into the team following his arrival from Slavia Prague on Sunday, missed a golden opportunity as Mac Allister headed straight at him. Kinsky just avoided disaster when he tripped over a routine shot from Cody Gakpo, only to recover in the nick of time.
Kinsky mustered up the courage to make the “shush” sign; everything was under control. For the 21-year-old, who had only attended two practices with his new colleagues, it was a baptism by fire. He has participated in this season’s Europa League. This was a whole new ballgame.
Tensions were building. As is becoming more and more often, Postecoglou was heated while discussing technical matters. Just before the hour mark, Spurs missed a fantastic opportunity to score the first goal, and Harry collapsed to his knees in agony.
Under Bergvall’s pressure, Alisson almost pulled off a drag-back, but the young Swede robbed him because he hesitated. With Alisson away from his goal, Virgil van Dijk blocked Porro’s effort after the ball broke for him. After yet another break, a Bergvall pass, and brilliantly put Porro, it was all over. He failed to deliver a convincing chipped finish and missed the mark.
Introducing Trent Alexander-Arnold, Luis Díaz, and Darwin Núñez all at once, Slot showed off his muscles. They battled hard. Salah writhed in pain. Following Kinsky’s large block, he would let Núñez to ascend the inside right. Also, there was the time when Alexander-Arnold hit Kinsky with a first-time shot that sailed past him at an angle of poisonous power. Following his lead, Dragusin would execute a superb clearance.
