Postmortem: Tottenham Hotspur Strike Late to Edge Liverpool in Carabao Cup Semi-Final | OneFootball

Tottenham 1 – 0 Liverpool – The Carabao Cup Semi-final 1st Leg League Postmortem

The atmosphere at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium was loud and excited, as the midweek cup fever overtook North London. This first leg was only ever going to tell half the story, however, drawing first blood in the semi-finals is always preferred for two aggressive head coaches.

Below is how the team lined up, with match details following.

Liverpool’s Starting Eleven

Alisson Becker

Conor Bradley, Jarell Quansah, Virgil Van Dijk, Kostas Tsimikas

Alexis Mac Allister, Ryan Gravenberch, Curtis Jones

Mohamed Salah, Diogo Jota, Cody Gakpo

Subs

Wataru Endō – Jarell Quansah (30 mins)

Darwin Núñez – Diogo Jota (60 mins)

Luis Díaz – Cody Gakpo  (60 mins)

Trent Alexander Arnold – Conor Bradley (60 mins)

Ibrahima Konaté – Alexis Mac Allister (80 mins)

Goals (Assisted by)

Tottenham 1 – 0 Liverpool

Lucas Bergvall (Dominic Solanke) – 85 mins

Important Match Stats

Possession: Tottenham 40% – 60% Liverpool

Total Shots: Tottenham 9 – 14 Liverpool

Corner Kicks: Tottenham 2 – 2 Liverpool

Offsides: Tottenham 1 – 0 Liverpool

Fouls: Tottenham 8 – 10 Liverpool

Goalkeeper Saves: Tottenham 6 – 2 Liverpool

The First Half

The beginning of the game was a stop-start affair as Rodrigo Bentancur sustained a worrying injury which delayed the opening stages. After some end-to-end moments that saw Spurs the more aggressive, Mohamed Salah was able to get a shot on goal after a fluid counterattack which edged just wide of the far post.

Jarrell Quansah would leave the pitch later on in the half with a muscular injury requiring the Japan skipper, Wataru Endō, to enter the fray and participate in a central defensive role. Kostas Tsimikas was lively at either end of the pitch and his presence in the final third nearly created the opening goal for Alexis Mac Allister, who headed straight at the keeper from a well-taken free kick. Conor Bradley was keen to attack the flank at every opportunity as much of the Red’s successful patterns of play emanated from the full-backs.

At the end of the entertaining first half, Cody Gakpo unleashed a powerful low drive from distance which threatened to creep past the opposing keeper, however, the fleet-footed breakaway was just another half chance that was not taken. Spurs had struggled to truly test their opponents in the initial 45 minutes, with only a deflected Son Heung-min effort bringing a fine low save from Alisson Becker, as the intriguing battle sat on a knife edge.

The half ended with the score locked at 0-0, leaving everything to play for.

The Second Half

At the start of the second half, Liverpool made no changes to the same eleven players who had played in the first half. In the opening stages, the Reds nearly crafted a great opportunity, as Mohamed Salah flighted a ball to the back post, only for the trajectory of the ball to be too high for the advancing Cody Gakpo.

Following a good spell of Liverpool possession, an uncharacteristic mistake of the Brazilian stopper, Alisson Becker, nearly resulted in an open goal as the giant keeper lost possession of the ball in his penalty area. Virgil van Dijk was on hand to stop the resulting shot and the reaction of the visiting team seemed to be one of more urgency. The tempo was further increased on the hour mark with a raft of positive substitutions.

The incoming Uruguayan, Darwin Núñez, nearly saw a strong header test the Spurs stopper, however, the distance from goal meant that it failed to trouble the opposing keeper. Virgil van Dijk was once again able to avert danger with a solid block and his performance continued to stand above all others. Mohamed Salah would then release his new attacking teammate, Darwin, with a perfect through ball which was well struck into the body of Antonin Kinsey in the Tottenham goal.

The deadlock really should have been broken moments later, as the incoming vice-captain, Trent Alexander Arnold, drilled an absurd effort across the goal which was cleared on the line. Alexis Mac Allister received that clearance on the edge of the box, though his immediate shot bounced wide of the goal.

Following a horrible challenge by the Spurs youngster, Lucas Bergvall, his second yellow card was amazingly not given. Minutes later and with the Reds still incensed by the lack of a deserved caution, the opening goal of the game was scored by the man in question as he latched into a smart through ball by the former Liverpool striker, Dominic Solanke, before filling his shot into the bottom corner.

The match ended with a 1-0 scoreline, disappointing the hosts and rejuvenating the visitors.

Final Thoughts

This first-leg tie was a disappointing affair for Arne Slot, though the second leg will of course offer sole solace. Rest and recovery are needed for this tired ensemble, with a visit to Nottingham Forest coming next Tuesday, after the backup squad members take on Accrington Stanley in the FA Cup this weekend.

Steven Smith’s Score Prediction;

Tottenham 2 – 2 Liverpool