It’s a bit premature to say this was a night when Tottenham Hotspur’s young team came of age, but this 1-0 victory over Liverpool was an impressive show of maturity when they most needed it. An 18-year-old Lucas Bergvall appropriately settled it, crowning the fine work of fellow teenager Archie Gray. Ange Postecoglou couldn’t be more effusive afterwards, and that’s understandable. It might well save Tottenham Hotspur’s season, just as Liverpool’s has a slight sense of lag. The Premier League leaders were still very energised about the Lucas Bergvall goal that won this Carabao Cup semi-final first leg, with complaints that the goalscorer should have had a second booking, eventually seeing Arne Slot unusually lose his cool.
It was symbolic of a display where his Liverpool were nowhere near the smoothness of the opening months of the campaign. Duly, this was the first time this season they went two games without a win, after Sunday’s 2-2 draw against Manchester United.
