Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou admits he has “seen so much growth” in his side despite recent results after Spurs beat Liverpool 1-0 in the first leg of their EFL Cup semi-final on Wednesday.
Teenager Lucas Bergvall scored his first goal for the club four minutes into the game to end Liverpool’s 24-game unbeaten run and give Tottenham a narrow advantage going into their second game at Anfield in a month.
The win was Spurs’ first since beating Manchester United in eight as Postecoglou’s side look to revive their season.
Victory in the first leg! 🙌 pic.twitter.com/ktX5W2OTjA
— Tottenham (@SpursOfficial) January 8, 2025
The match, however, was marred by a very serious injury to Rodrigo Bentancur in the first half, which resulted in the midfielder being taken to hospital.
Postecoglou said Bedancourt was now conscious but admitted he did not have “all the information”.
Speaking about his side’s performance, the Spurs boss was quick to praise the players.
“I thought we deserved it on the night,” Postecoglou told Sky Sports.
“The boys gave everything and I’m very happy that the players are getting rewards.
“We have to deal with adversity all the time. It’s unbelievable when you think we have a couple of 18 year olds out there. I’ve seen so much growth, it’s just being overshadowed by our poor form.
“But it’s only half-time and going to Liverpool is not easy.”
One of the main talking points after the game was whether or not the match-winner Bergvall should have been on the pitch to score his goal.
Ange Postecoglou passionately defends the decision to keep Lukas Bergvall on the field 👀 pic.twitter.com/doOpVc0BEE
— Sky Sports Football (@SkyFootball) January 8, 2025
Just before finding the back of the net, the Swede, who was already on a yellow card, fouled Konstantinos Tsimika, but referee Stuart Atwell chose not to book him.
Asked if his player was lucky to be on the pitch, the Spurs boss defended the decision: “We’ve been shouting about it for months, it’s happened to us all the time.
“If the advantage is played, if it is not a cynical tackle, it is not played with a yellow. To me that was pretty clear.”
Next up for Spurs is a trip to National League side Tamworth in the FA Cup third round on Sunday.
