It’s a little premature to say that this was a night where Tottenham Hotspur’s young side came of age, but this 1-0 win over Liverpool was an impressive display of maturity when they needed it most. 18-year-old Lucas Bergvall duly solved the matter, crowning the excellent work of his teenage colleague Archie Gray. Ange Postecoglou couldn’t be more effusive afterward, and that’s understandable. It could well save Tottenham Hotspur’s season, just as there is a slight sense of delay at Liverpool. The Premier League leaders were still keen on Lucas Bergvall’s goal that won the first leg of the Carabao Cup semi-final and complained that the goalscorer should have received a second yellow card, which ultimately led to that Arne Slot unusually lost his temper.

It was emblematic of a performance in which his Liverpool did not operate nearly as smoothly as they had in the early months of the season. After Sunday’s 2-2 draw with Manchester United, it was the first time this season that they went two games without a win.

The night appeared to be overshadowed by a worrying moment when Rodrigo Bentancur looked as if he had lost consciousness after an eight-minute stoppage, but Spurs mercifully reported that he was awake and talking and went to hospital for further tests. Postecoglou repeated these reassuring details but declined to speak further, out of simple respect for the fact that he is not a doctor.

Bentancur’s teammates won the game for him, which is even more impressive considering many of them lost 6-3 to the same opponent just a few weeks ago.

Such results fostered, as Postecoglou admitted, “an emotional time.”

“I don’t think it’s so great that the people who work at this club, our fans, don’t have that feeling of victory,” he said. “It weighs heavily on me.”

Postecoglou and everyone else now have a real boost, as well as hope for Wembley and perhaps a trophy. The Australian’s comments were made in response to a question about his agitated recent media statements and followed a passionate discussion about VAR and how he feels it is ruining the game. That should be something like the theme of the evening.

Postecoglou himself would say that it should be about Spurs winning. Make no mistake: this up-and-coming team played for him, at a club that has had recent problems when managers suddenly hit rock bottom. Instead, the Spurs may be on the verge of one of their best moments in years.

The tie is of course far from settled as they have to play at Anfield in a month’s time, but it felt like something of a refresher for Postecoglou’s team. He needed this so badly, even if no one outside Spurs expected it.

They suffered so many injuries that 21-year-old emergency goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky had to make his debut immediately. They had worse form and all the good feelings of Postecoglou’s early days disappeared in the drudgery of so many defeats, amid debates about the manager’s style.

You wouldn’t have guessed any of this if you only saw this game from your own perspective. It was not only one of Spurs’ toughest performances this season, but also one of their sharpest. They didn’t allow much and repeatedly caused problems for Liverpool, especially in the second half.

Postecoglou joked that his “midfield formation was a bit more conservative,” with the punch line being that he “only had three midfielders to choose from!”

So many of his younger players have stepped up, especially Bergvall and Gray. The latter was so measured, which was all the more impressive when he was up against in-form attackers Cody Gakpo and Mohammed Salah. There was little they could do, much like their team.

It was actually a continuation of Liverpool’s performance against Manchester United, which could be a slight concern for Slot.

Of course there were changes, but it was still a strong team. Even Wataru Endo, who replaces Jarell Quansah as a central defender, has at least played in this position before.

Slot still insisted that they were the stronger team, although not at the level of 6-3, but that was doubtful.

A lack of synchronicity was evident when Mohammed Salah unnecessarily took the ball away from Alexis Mac Allister’s foot as a shot was waiting to be struck before sending it over the bar. Otherwise, there were long periods in which they didn’t bother Kinsky, at least when it came to scoring chances.

At one point the impressive debutant was beaten by a superbly speared volley from Trent Alexander-Arnold, but Radu Dragusin was there to clear the ball off the line.

Although Kinsky had a moment of slight hesitation in the first half when he was pressured with the ball at his feet, it was nothing like what the much more experienced goalkeeper Alisson had to endure in the second half.

The Brazilian attempted one of his Cruyff turns in the penalty area against Lucas Bergvall, but the midfielder stood up and immediately embarrassed Alisson by flicking the ball away from him. Pedro Porro then threw at Alisson with a cheek, but also a little too much distance. The ball deviated just wide.

There was a growing feeling that Liverpool were asking for a little more trouble than they usually do and that Spurs were increasingly keen for it. In the 80th minute it looked like they had it done. Dominic Solanke finally seemed to get the upper hand on their high line, charging towards goal and pushing the ball past Alisson.

It was a close call, as Stuart Atwell finally announced to the audience with a historic new audio upgrade.

When asked about the new “innovation,” Slot joked: “It would be more interesting for everyone if he explained why there was no second yellow card.”

The source of his complaint quickly followed the Solanke moment when Bergvall scored a deserved winner for him and Spurs. Liverpool would insist they were the better team and that definitely shouldn’t have counted. Bergvall had tackled Kostas Tsimikas for what looked like a second yellow card. However, Atwell did not warn him and he was able to capitalize on a declining defense. Someone almost as impressive, Porro, initially played the through ball which went straight through Liverpool. That brought Solanke level after he physically defeated Ibrahima Konate. The ball was passed back to Bergvall, who scored a great finish. Alisson had no chance. Liverpool still had some complaints, and Slot’s assistant was eventually banned over allegations.

Slot, who had now calmed down, spoke philosophically about how Postecoglou had complained about decisions on Saturday and here was one where he was lucky and Liverpool were unlucky. The Dutch coach actually had a sympathetic ear with Postecoglou, who spoke at length about how surprised he was that English football culture – “the home of the game” – could be so heavily influenced by VAR, with just “one Australian from the other”. side of the world”.

Regarding the new in-game VAR announcement, Postecoglou asked: “Did everyone really like the announcement, did it create excitement?”

Postecoglou has said something like this before, but this went further, and he probably felt that a moment of victory was the better time to say it. It is also well received and revives his image as a man of the people.

The victory and its significance will definitely excite him. Spurs have a lead in the final, but they face a daunting game at Anfield.

It could define their season. Liverpool needs a bit of a refresh.