Liverpool suffered only their second defeat of the season and went into the second leg of the League Cup semi-final with a goal deficit after another poor performance.

Tottenham 1-0 Liverpool

Carabao Cup semi-final first leg | Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
January 8, 2025

Goals: Bergvall 86′

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Alisson – 7 (out of 10)

A surprise starter as this was usually Caoimhin Kelleher’s competition. Slot explained it was all about rhythm, and he was quickly deployed with a reaction parade.

Quickly off his line, but his distribution was questionable and bordered on self-sabotage, giving Spurs an open goal, which they missed on this occasion.

Another game without conceding a goal.

Conor Bradley – 7

If there was one thing that couldn’t be questioned, it was his work rate – although he understandably needed time to settle for this first start in more than six weeks.

He fought hard and proved to be a reliable option on the right side with his overlapping runs. At least a foundation to build on.

Jarell Quansah – 5

He found it difficult to get playing time and it showed very early on with a nervous pass into midfield that was nowhere near a teammate. His captain quickly told him to calm down.

From then on he always seemed nervous, but before we knew it he had to leave the pitch after just 30 minutes due to an injury – it was a torrid season for the 21-year-old.

Virgil Van Dijk – 8 (Man of the Match)

The calm presence Liverpool needed was assured to Van Dijk when others were sloppy and willingly positioned himself brilliantly to deny Spurs the chance to target Alisson.

It’s so easy to gloss over his achievements, such are the standards he set for himself, but he was where he needed to be and more, and most importantly, let Brennan Johnson down.

Konate was no longer able to fill in in the final phase, but that didn’t detract from his individual performance.

Kostas Tsimikas – 6

It’s becoming a growing theme that Tsimikas’ first intervention is usually a mistake, as was the case here when he passed straight to the Spurs player in the penalty area – luckily Van Dijk had that under control.

Tsimikas wasn’t the only one, but he was guilty of overcooking seemingly simple passes, easily dispossessed and caught out of position. Due to injury, he was unable to be on the pitch for Spurs’ winning goal.

Ryan Gravenberch – 7

A mix of good and bad like so many, but ended up in the former category.

Overall, however, an understated achievement, with his now-trademark ability to work his way out of tight spaces still playing a big role. He was crucial in a late comeback attempt, using his body skillfully to stop Spurs in their tracks and prevent them from scoring again.

Alexis Mac Allister – 7

He picked up a lot of loose balls, his positioning was always spot on and he was certainly one of the players who improved as the game went on.

Recovered the most of any Reds outfielder (7) before his retirement, perhaps showing that the Spurs were only able to make a breakthrough after his substitution.

Curtis Jones – 6

With Dominik Szoboszlai still out due to illness, Jones had the chance to put Sunday out of his mind with a strong performance – although we wouldn’t quite call it that.

Looks like a player in need of a break, but he was at least accurate in possession – although that suggests that as a No.10 he decided to play it safe and not make any line-breaking passes.

Mohamed Salah – 5

He had the fewest touches of the ball of any Reds player in the first half (11) and the chances he had he took advantage of when he tried to convert them something happen.

Salah is always able to conjure up a magical moment even on the worst of days, but despite his efforts it never looked like it was going to happen.

Cody Gakpo – 6

Looked good on the left when he got the chance to run towards the Spurs defense and cut inside to his right boot, but that was a rare occurrence for the Dutchman.

The most likely route to goal before being substituted.

Diogo Jota – 6

After six consecutive appearances as a substitute, Jota finally got into the starting lineup for the first time since October 21, starting the stop-start first half as the most involved of the first three players.

He found central spaces to operate in and did contribute defensively, but a shot before he was substituted after the hour spoke volumes about his lack of involvement in the areas where it mattered.

Substitute

Wataru Endo (on for Quansah, 30′) – 8 – For the second time this season he has been tasked with the centre-back position, a position he is all too familiar with. The best compliment anyone could pay him was that they hadn’t even questioned his presence there before he made a late move to midfield.

Darwin Nunez (for Jota, 60′) – 7 – Gave energy going forward and came close with an improvised shot.

Trent Alexander-Arnold (for Bradley, 60′) – 8 – Was immediately accompanied by his traveling Kop song, helping to provide much-needed forward momentum. A shot was cleared off the line and this time there will be no doubt about his performance.

Luis Diaz (for Gakpo, 60′) – 6 – Done a lot without doing much, does that make sense?

Ibrahima Konate (for Mac Allister, 80′) – 6 – Allowed Endo to break into midfield but was unable to take the ball away from Dominic Solanke in the build-up to the Spurs goal.

Substitutes not used: Kelleher, Robertson, Elliott, Chiesa

Arne Slot – 6

It will have come as something of a surprise that Slot only made four changes, but he made it clear that he was looking for rhythm in some while resting in others – although he didn’t quite manage that.

Quansah’s injury is less than ideal, with Ibrahima Konate only making his return and Joe Gomez still a few weeks away from his comeback – Endo’s stock has risen quickly!

Will was once again frustrated by how sloppy and wasteful his team were in possession, but his changes – which looked pre-planned – brought life into his team, at least for the final 30 minutes.

His anger boiled over when Lucas Bergvall scored for Tottenham, shortly after the midfielder should have received his second yellow card but his assistant was booked instead. Typical.

Being one goal down isn’t the end of the world, but not being able to get a result with a strong team is far from ideal, it’s another wake-up call.