Tottenham vs Liverpool LIVE: Carabao Cup result and reaction as Lucas Bergvall scores late winner
Tottenham 1-0 Liverpool: Bergvall’s late goal ensures Spurs take a lead into the second leg at Anfield.
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Your support makes all the difference.Lucas Bergvall struck an 86th-minute winner to earn Tottenham a 1-0 victory over Liverpool and a slender advantage after a cagey Carabao Cup semi-final first leg.
Spurs were without 10 players for this tie and had lost 6-3 to Arne Slot’s irresistible Premier League leaders last month, but turned the form table on its head - albeit with a touch of fortune.
Match-winner Bergvall was lucky to avoid a second yellow card for a late tackle on Kostas Tsimikas moments before he fired home his first goal for the club to earn Tottenham and Ange Postecoglou a much-needed win.
Postecoglou had faced external pressure after a nightmare run of form amid a horror injury crisis, which deepened with Rodrigo Bentancur forced off early amid worrying scenes, but his injury-hit team with debutant goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky managed to shut out Liverpool to head to Anfield next month with a narrow lead.
Relive the Carabao Cup action with our live blog below:
The cost of football’s packed schedule is a double-edged sword for players and managers alike
It’s a week where only four Premier League teams have double fixtures, so it consequently becomes a little double-edged. Although the Carabao Cup semi-final managers are at a stage of the season where their squads could badly do with time to breathe, the fact they are so close to Wembley means they feel they have little choice but to go all in. There’s a trophy to be won.
That just means they lose a little bit of ground on, well, the training ground after the hectic December schedule. It’s perhaps just as well for Mikel Arteta and Arne Slot, in particular, that they have the FA Cup rather than Premier League at the weekend. We can expect some drastically changed sides.
The cost of football’s packed schedule is a double-edged sword for players
Balancing a desire to win trophies with preparation time on the training ground takes its toll both physically and mentally
Postecoglou plays coy over Spurs’ new goalkeeper
Tottenham head coach Ange Postecoglou decided not to reveal if new signing Antonin Kinsky would play a part in tonight’s league cup match against Liverpool
“We’ll see,” Postecoglou said, when asked if the 21-year-old stopper will make his Spurs.
“He obviously arrived Sunday, he’s had a couple of days of training and he’s registered and eligible to play. We’ve still got to do a couple of final things with him and then we’ll see.”
Arne Slot on rotating his squad for tonight’s clash
The Liverpool manager was asked in his pre-match press conference yesterday whether he was likely to make any changes to his starting XI.
He said: “I think if you look at all the fixtures we’ve had this season, there are so many things going into a line-up – short term, long term, qualities of the opponent, where are my players [at]?
“So, it’s going to always be a decision made about, in our opinion, the best line-up for tomorrow. In some situations, for Southampton away or other games, in my opinion the best line-up was the ones that didn’t start a lot.
“Let’s see what that is tomorrow for the game we play against Tottenham.”
Tottenham vs Liverpool prediction
Expect both teams to make changes to their starting XI without sacrificing the quality of their line-ups that much.
Spurs and Liverpool will both have players capable on winning this game but the Reds will be the more confident side and if they get off to a strong start should have the quality to go on to win.
Ange Postecoglou will have his sights set on this trophy and knows that being at home gives his players an advantage. He’ll set Tottenham up to attack so expect a high scoring affair.
Tottenham 2-3 Liverpool
Liverpool early team news
Arne Slot was hopeful on match eve that Dominik Szoboszlai would be able to feature after missing the Manchester United draw through illness, though the midfielder is unlikely to start.
Amid a busy period, Slot may rest a couple of regular starters as he manages his squad.
Predicted Liverpool XI: Kelleher; Bradley, Quansah, Konate, Tsimikas; Elliott, Endo, Jones; Chiesa, Nunez, Jota.
Tottenham early team news
Tottenham’s defensive problems show few signs of easing with a makeshift backline again likely to be fielded.
New signing Antonin Kinsky has been cleared to feature after receiving a work permit and will contest the starting goalkeeper’s shirt with Brandon Austin, who made a long-awaited senior debut on Saturday. James Maddison is suspended.
Predicted Tottenham XI: Austin; Pedro Porro, Dragusin, Gray, Spence; Bissouma, Bentancur; Johnson, Kulusevski, Son; Solanke.
How can I watch it?
Viewers in the United Kingdom can watch the match live on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Football, with coverage on the channels from 7pm GMT. Subscribers can stream via Sky Go.
If you want to stream major sporting events while you are travelling or watching from abroad you’ll need a VPN. Get the best VPN deals in the UK. Viewers using a VPN need to make sure that they comply with any local regulations where they are, and also with the terms of their service provider.
When is Tottenham vs Liverpool?
The first leg of the Carabao Cup semi-final is due to kick off at 8pm GMT on Wednesday 8 January at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Tottenham vs Liverpool
Tottenham Hotspur will be hoping that the Carabao Cup can provide a boost in a difficult period as they take on Liverpool for a place at Wembley.
The league leaders come to London for the first encounter of this two-legged affair, with the winner meeting either Arsenal or Newcastle in the final.
An injury crisis has compounded Spurs’ inconsistency to leave Ange Postecoglou’s side languishing in the league after a run of four games without a win.
While Sunday’s entertaining draw with Manchester United represented a slight slip in their title charge, Liverpool are still riding high as they continue their pursuit of silverware under Arne Slot.
Good evening!
Welcome to The Independent’s coverage of tonight’s Carabao Cup action as Tottenham host Liverpool in the league cup semi-finals.
Spurs are in a poor run of form having gone four games without a win since their victory over Manchester United in the previous round of this competition. Ange Postecoglou is under increasing pressure to turnaround their fortunes and can ease that by taking his team to the final at Wembley.
Liverpool will be confident of securing another win. They defeated Spurs 6-3 in the Premier League in December and have built up a solid run of momentum under manager Arne Slot who is hunting for his first trophy with the club.
We’ll have all the team news, line-ups and match updates throughout the evening so stick with us as we build up to kick off at 8pm.
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