Tottenham feared it would be a story about a new take on VAR pain. There were 77 minutes on the clock, this Carabao Cup semi-final had finally started to heat up and Dominic Solanke thought he had put Spurs in the lead. Not only was it a beautiful finish from Pedro Porro’s sharp through ball, but also a goal with rich narrative possibilities. Remember, this was a striker who had not enjoyed himself at the start of his Liverpool career.

The referee Stuart Attwell explains live and via microphone that Solanke was offside. Attwell even blew his whistle into his microphone, which was a little irritating. And yet there would be a twist. A glorious victory in the eyes of Spurs, fulfilling their dream of their first trophy since 2008. And one that gets Liverpool excited. Lucas Bergvall, Spurs’ supremely talented midfielder, should have been sent off for taking down Kostas Tsimikas. He already had a yellow card.

But now Bergvall was there, with time almost up, striding towards a cutback from Solanke to beat past Alisson. There was chaos in the stadium. There were allegations for Liverpool, a rare bump under Arne Slot.

Ange Postecoglou isn’t exactly spoiled for choice at the moment; How much he must envy Slot, whose strong starting XI was entirely intentional. He had left a number of key players behind on Merseyside for the quarter-final win at Southampton. Not here. Even his bench felt like a statement.

It was easy to feel the ghosts of Liverpool’s previous visit; the 6-3 league win before Christmas, a result that flattered Spurs. Postecoglou is not a fan of compromises, but there have been a few improvements recently; The full-backs don’t bomb as much, the midfield is a bit more solid.

Postecoglou started with Rodrigo Bentancur and Yves Bissouma in front of the back four, but had to switch in the early stages. It was not immediately clear what happened to Bentancur after Son Heung-min returned a Spurs corner into the danger area and Radu Dragusin Alisson cleverly parried.

Bentancur had thrown himself into a slanting header immediately after the first ball was delivered and simply couldn’t move from the ground, whereupon players from both teams immediately flagged down the medics. Bentancur was treated for about eight minutes before being taken away on a stretcher. The lack of any TV footage of the incident when it occurred added to the severity of the incident; the levels of concern. Spurs would report at half-time that Bentancur was conscious, speaking and on his way to hospital for a check-up.

Postecoglou moved Brennan Johnson to the right wing, moved Dejan Kulusevski inside and it was more of a 4-3-3, with Lucas Bergvall staying high in central midfield most of the time. The responsibility on Bissouma was enormous and he played fast and loose, picking up a yellow card in the first half after being on the wrong side of Diogo Jota.

Liverpool started slowly; They made mistakes on the ball – and in large numbers. Some required double takes. What actually? Slot’s team had to regroup when Jarell Quansah sensed something and left just before the half hour mark. Wataru Endo came; He had played in central defense at Southampton.

Liverpool grew as the first half went on, which lasted 11 extra minutes. Conor Bradley, who started at right-back in front of Trent Alexander-Arnold, was physical and energetic. The guests threatened to penetrate with overlaps on the left side.

Before the break the chances were slim. Son crossed to Dominic Solanke in the 22nd minute, but the center forward was unable to use his backhand. Solanke could have been offside.

Liverpool’s finest moment came when Kostas Tsimikas fed Alexis Mac Allister with a cross. It was on the line but Mac Allister headed straight at Antonin Kinsky, who had been pushed straight into the team after arriving from Slavia Prague on Sunday. There was almost a scary moment for Kinsky when he slipped on a routine shot from Cody Gakpo and was able to recover just in time.

Kinsky had the courage to make the “reassurance” gesture; everything was under control. What a baptism for the 21-year-old, who had only taken part in two training sessions with his new teammates. He played in the Europa League this season. That was another level.

Tensions eased. Postecoglou was animated in his technical department, which feels like an increasingly common sight. He was on his knees in fear just before the hour mark when Spurs missed a golden chance to take the lead.

Alisson narrowly escaped with a drag-back under pressure from Bergvall, but not as he hesitated and was robbed by the young Swede. The ball went to Porro, whose shot was blocked by Virgil van Dijk while Alisson was standing next to his goal. Another break, a Bergvall pass and there was Porro, beautifully placed. His chipped finish lacked conviction and went wide.

Slot flexed his muscles and introduced Trent Alexander-Arnold, Luis Díaz and Darwin Núñez in one fell swoop. His team put pressure on. Salah flickered. He would release Núñez on the inside right; Kinsky made a big block. There was also the moment when Alexander-Arnold fired a shot for the first time from an angle of venomous power that flew past Kinsky. Dragusin would do an excellent job of clearing the line behind him.