Ange-ball alive and well as Tottenham trophy hopes remain intact
Spurs edged out Liverpool in the teams' League Cup semi-final first leg on Wednesday night in a result which earns credit for Ange Postecoglou and his young side
Pressure on Ange Postecoglou had been growing. Following a run of disappointing results in recent weeks and a slide into the Premier League’s bottom half, some fans have been calling for the Tottenham boss to be sacked. So Wednesday night’s League Cup semi-final first leg at home to Liverpool assumed even greater importance.
Spurs were beaten 6-3 by the Reds in the Premier League at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium just 17 days earlier and Postecoglou’s side had been 5-1 down at one point in that game. Anything like a repeat of that result on Wednesday would have represented another damaging blow for Spurs and their Australian manager.
With Liverpool leading the Premier League and also top of the Champions League standings, the Reds’ priorities probably lie elsewhere. But a cup semi-final is a game any side would want to win and it is fair to say that Spurs’ supporters were not exactly exuding confidence ahead of the match.
It is well-known by now that Tottenham need a trophy. Spurs’ last piece of silverware was the League Cup, way back in 2008, and winning the cup competition again this term is the club’s best chance of ending that drought.
Missing 10 first-team players, Spurs soon lost another player as Rodrigo Bentancur suffered a head injury in the opening minutes and had to be stretchered off after a long delay. The Uruguayan midfielder had injured himself all alone in attempting to head away a corner. That’s just how things are going at Spurs right now.
Visibly shaken by seeing their team-mate and friend stricken in what was an extremely worrying sight, the Tottenham players picked themselves up and after absorbing the pressure in a difficult first half which featured over 11 minutes of added time, went on to win the match in the second period.
Postecoglou had sunk to his knees when Pedro Porro missed a glorious opportunity in the first half. The Australian was punching the air when Dominic Solanke did net after 76 minutes, but the striker’s effort was eventually ruled out due to a tight offside decision announced on the pitch by referee Stuart Attwell in a historic moment. Loud boos from the Spurs fans followed after a long wait for the call. Is this the VAR we want?
With time ticking away, Liverpool were the better team. Manager Arne Slot sent on three quality reinforcements in Darwin Núñez, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Luis Díaz. With so many absentess, Spurs could do no such thing. But they could compete.
Making his debut in goal, 21-year-old Antonín Kinský made two super saves to deny Darwin and was oustanding with his feet all night. The Czech, who arrived last week from Slavia Prague amid a goalkeeping crisis at the north London club, also started the move which led to Tottenham’s winner with four minutes remaining.
Porro hit a long pass down the right which was held up by Solanke and squared into the path of the advancing Lucas Bergvall. The Swede curled a first-time finish into the corner and past Alisson Becker from around 15 yards out. It was a lovely goal, but also controversial.
Liverpool were furious because moments earlier, Bergvall had gone unpunished for a foul on Kostas Tsimikas as the Reds launched a counter-attack. The 18-year-old was already on a yellow card, but referee Attwell chose not to book the midfielder. Worse still for Liverpool, Tsimikas was off the pitch receiving treatment when Spurs scored.
Was it a moment of fortune Tottenham had deserved? Postecoglou passionately claimed in his post-match interview with Sky Sports that the decision was correct because Bergvall’s challenge was not cynical and he well may be right. Also, the Swede’s first booking should not have been a yellow card as Díaz dived. But it is also understandable that Liverpool felt aggrieved – especially with Tsimikas off the pitch.
Perhaps Spurs did deserve this, though. One of the chief criticisms of Postecoglou is a perceived inability to adapt tactically, yet this was a much more resolute Tottenham and the win was secured with two 18-year-olds in the team, one playing out of position at the back, a right-sided defender on the left and a young goalkeeper making his debut in English football. With so many players out, the Australian has had to adapt constantly.
It may not be enough to secure Spurs a place in the final at Wembley in March, but it does give them a chance. By the time the second leg comes around at Anfield in early February, some of Tottenham’s walking wounded will have returned and there should be at least a couple more additions in the transfer window this month as well.
Could this be the result to kick-start Spurs’ season and revive Postecoglou’s reign in times of adversity in N17? With Tottenham still in three cups in 2024-25, the Australian may yet come good on his vow to win a trophy in his second campaign at the north London club. Ange-ball is alive and well after all.