Lucas Bergvall’s first goal for Tottenham Hotspur took his team ahead of Liverpool in the race to reach the Carabao Cup final after giving them a 1-0 win in north London.

In Wednesday’s semi-final first leg at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Ange Postecoglou and Arne Slot’s teams were largely level until the 18-year-old Bergvall scored the only goal of the game in the 86th minute after Dominic Solanke was ruled out for offside . minute.

Spurs’ evening got off to a worrying start with midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur having to be sent off after an early corner kick, but they will have a narrow lead ahead of next month’s return leg at Anfield.

Jack Pitt-Brooke, Jay Harris and Andy Jones break down the key talking points from Wednesday’s first semi-final game.

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What happened to Rodrigo Bentancur?

The first half was marked by a lengthy break after just six minutes when Tottenham midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur went down and required treatment.

Bentancur had gone down as he headed the ball at the near post and the crowd’s attention was initially focused on Son Heung-min and Radu Dragusin’s attempts to take advantage of the opportunity.

But it soon became clear that Bentancur was lying on the ground in the penalty area and the players rushed to call medical staff.

After receiving lengthy treatment, Bentancur was placed on a stretcher by staff and then taken away, with the Uruguayan international wearing an oxygen mask. At half-time it was reported that Bentancur was conscious and speaking and he was taken to hospital for further examinations.

Jack Pitt Brooke

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Bergvall’s big moment

Since Lucas Bergvall first started for Spurs in the Premier League against Southampton last month, he has grown in stature with each game.

The 18-year-old clearly took a few months to get used to the physicality of English football after joining Tottenham from Swedish club Djurgarden in the summer. He was exceptional against Newcastle United on Saturday and then produced another impressive performance against Liverpool.

The midfielder accepts the ball very well under pressure and confidently drives it forward. He also developed an excellent understanding with his close friend Dejan Kulusevski.

However, he can be rash and was very lucky to stay on the pitch on Wednesday night. He was booked in the 67th minute for a wild tackle on Luis Diaz and almost took out Ryan Gravenberch 10 minutes later. Then, with Liverpool on the counterattack, he lunged into a tackle on Kostas Tsimikas. Virgil van Dijk protested, but the referee did not send Bergvall off the pitch.

A minute later, the Swedish international swept the ball past Alisson after fantastic work from Solanke and Ibrahima Konate converted. Liverpool head coach Slot became upset on the touchline and was warned for complaining.

Bergvall didn’t care as he jumped in front of the Spurs fans with pure joy on his face. The teenager’s first goal for Spurs couldn’t have come at a better time.

Jay Harris

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Did both teams prevail?

The last time Liverpool were in the league, it was an exciting encounter: a 6-3 away win in which even more goals could have been scored.

But this was a much closer affair, a narrow 1-0 win for Spurs. Very little happened in the first half, and the game steadily improved in the second half without ever becoming a complete opener.

For a long time here it felt like both teams were happy to play a patient game, conserve resources and focus on getting to the second leg at Anfield next month.

That would make perfect sense for both teams. Tottenham obviously don’t want to risk too much until they have players back and can play something more like their natural high-tempo game rather than the slower, modified brand they currently play. Liverpool will return to Anfield in front of their own fans and will want to take advantage of the atmosphere there.

And with both teams struggling with injuries as they try to compete on multiple fronts, neither side can afford to lose any more players.

But even if Liverpool never really got going, it was Spurs who were able to turn up the heat with their physicality in the second half. Solanke had a goal disallowed for a minor offside call, but he still had the energy to dominate Konate and set up the winning goal for Bergvall, who didn’t stop running all night.

Jack Pitt Brooke

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Alexander-Arnold gives an answer

The big talking point in Liverpool’s team selection was the inclusion of Conor Bradley at right-back, with Trent Alexander-Arnold on the bench.

Alexander-Arnold was heavily criticized after his disappointing performance against Manchester United on Sunday. He also became the center of attention in the build-up to this game as speculation about his future increased following Real Madrid’s request.

After playing a lot of football due to Bradley’s absence, Slot took the opportunity to change his two full-backs, with Tsimikas being selected in place of Andy Robertson.

Alexander-Arnold, who is in the final six months of his contract, watched from the bench as Bradley impressed. In his first start since returning from injury, the Northern Ireland international put in the typical energetic and hard-hitting performance we have come to expect from him.

Slot gave Alexander-Arnold the lead after the hour and the 26-year-old looked much more like himself, especially in possession, as he helped improve Liverpool’s previously toothless attacking performance.

He came closest to scoring, but his shot was cleared off the line by Radu Dragusin, and although Liverpool conceded a goal, there was little he could do to prevent it. With Bradley fit again, Alexander-Arnold now has competition, but this was a cameo that should help boost his confidence.

Andy Jones

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Antonin Kinsky had only trained twice with his new teammates after his official move to Spurs on Sunday before being thrown into the starting lineup against Liverpool. It would have been understandable if the 21-year-old had been nervous on his debut, but he exuded confidence.

This is only his first appearance for Tottenham so it’s important not to get carried away, but with the ball at his feet he is far better than Fraser Forster or Brandon Austin and possibly Guglielmo Vicario. He distributed passes across the pitch with ease and often played the ball over Mohamed Salah into the path of Djed Spence.

In the first half, he made a precise long-range pass to Son Heung-min, which almost led to a scoring opportunity for Dominic Solanke. Ange Postecoglou turned to Kinsky and applauded him.

The Czech international stayed high off his line to catch any loose balls and there was a moment where he went back into the box, kicked the ball over Diogo Jota’s head and calmly picked it out of the air.

He also made a couple of routine saves against Alexis Mac Allister and Cody Gakpo and a very good save against Darwin Nunez. Tottenham signed Kinsky to provide competition for Vicario and, given the quality of the opposition, he passed his first test with flying colors.

Jay Harris

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How big is the blow? Quansah’s injury for Liverpool?

With Joe Gomez suffering a hamstring injury against West Ham United on December 29 and Konate still building up his match fitness after recovering from the injury, another injury at center back was the last thing Liverpool needed.

The sight of Jarell Quansah sitting down clutching the back of his leg less than 30 minutes into the game against Tottenham was not what head coach Arne Slot wanted to see.

Konate was on the bench, but with Slot anxious not to put too much strain on the France international and risk further injury, he decided to get creative and brought in defensive midfielder Wataru Endo to replace Quansah and his partner Virgil van Dijk.

Endo, who also played in this role in the second half against Southampton in the preliminary round, adapted well to the role. His calmness on the ball helped Liverpool gain better control of a game in which they caused themselves problems with numerous mistakes in possession.

It’s a disappointment for Quansah, who had the opportunity to impress after Gomez’s injury. It’s been a difficult season for the 21-year-old – and he didn’t start the game confidently – and he could now miss a period where he would have played more regularly.

The problem for Slot is that his busy schedule means he only has two recognized senior centre-backs in January. Van Dijk and Konate were Slot’s first choice when everyone was available, but he will have to get creative if he wants to give them a break at some point.

It is now likely that Endo will play at centre-back in the FA Cup against Accrington Stanley, but the question that needs to be answered is: who will be his partner?

Andy Jones

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What’s next for Spurs?

Sunday, January 12th: Tamworth (A), FA Cup third round, 12:30pm GMT, 7:30am ET

What’s next for Liverpool?

Saturday, January 11th: Accrington Stanley (H), FA Cup third round, 12:15pm GMT, 7:15am ET

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(Top photo: Sebastian Frej/MB Media/Getty Images)