LONDON — Ange Postecoglou needed it. Wednesday’s 1-0 win over Liverpool may not be enough to reach the Carabao Cup final given the semi-final second leg at Anfield awaits, but it buys them valuable time to get Tottenham Hotspur’s season back on track.
The irony is that this vital result comes in a competition that the 59-year-old coach has not particularly targeted, and through a performance that represents a departure from the high-risk style that has tested confidence locals in this part of the championship. north of London.
This was not a complete abandonment of Postecoglou’s principles, but rather a compromise than we are accustomed to.
Tottenham’s average start to possession was 31.6 meters from goal, their fifth lowest this season in all competitions. Their season average is 35.8 yards. And the hosts completed just 44 passes in their attacking third, compared to 83 against the same opposition last month and 77 in the previous round against Manchester United.
Perhaps Rodrigo Bentancur’s head injury caused them to lose their rhythm, and they were stretched and taken to hospital in what Postecoglou described as “quite a painful sight” afterwards. Spurs later confirmed he was conscious and talking.
A team depleted by injuries and the caliber of their opponents undoubtedly also contributed to this victory. The first half was, atypically for Spurs, quite lackluster. Postecoglou’s behavior was also a notable departure from the norm; unusually expressive on the sidelines, falling to his knees when Pedro Porro failed to capitalize on an error early in the second half Alisson Becker.
Dominic Solanke’s 77th minute goal ruled out by VAR review for offside and a chance to debut in the stadium refereeing announcements confirming that, yes, the man who could have been off -play when he crossed and scored was, in fact, offside when he ran and scored, prompting a furious shake of the head.
Lucas Bergvall’s winning goal nine minutes later sparked jubilant celebrations that resumed after the final whistle as Postecoglou blew kisses to his loved ones and reveled in the celebratory atmosphere that greeted a result that brought the two closer together. Spurs their first trophy since 2008.
Postecoglou is usually a stoic figure, but a recent run of four wins in 15 games has put him under significant pressure.
“It’s been an emotional time, mate,” he explained. “I keep saying: I’m a human being. Like all of us, we’re in these managerial roles and I understand we have positions of responsibility, but we’re still human beings deep down and we react to things .
“I don’t like the fact that the people who work very hard for this club, on and off the pitch, haven’t had that feeling of victory. I don’t feel good that our fans don’t have that feeling of victory.
“It weighs heavily on me. It’s my responsibility. So yeah, I’m a little more emotional than usual, but that probably also means I care, and I think that’s always important.”
It was only Liverpool’s second defeat under Arne Slot and Spurs achieved it with another patchwork team including debutant, Antonin Kinskyin goal, a teenage right-back in central defense Archie Gray and in disgrace Djed Spencerespectively. The latter is doing much better Mohamed Salah than in the 6-3 Premier League defeat here 17 days earlier.
It felt as if an element of pragmatism had crept into Tottenham’s approach, but Postecoglou suggested it was more a matter of circumstance than design.
“People were saying my midfield setup was a bit more conservative today, but that’s because I only had three midfielders to choose from,” he said. “The others weren’t available. We certainly did it the same way. Liverpool don’t allow you to do it the same way as other teams, and our players play a game without rest every three days.
“You saw Liverpool at the end, they put in some important talent, some really good footballers. I couldn’t do the same thing. And yet the guys constantly do it. Maybe we’re not as dominant as we would like but there are good reasons, not for lack of trying or different intentions.
Liverpool rotated before kick-off but Slot was introduced Trent Alexander-Arnold, Luis Diaz and Darwin Núñez among his five substitutes to try to take the lead in the first leg. Alexander-Arnold saw a shot cleared off the line and Núñez twice went close, but it was Spurs who struck late, benefitting from a dubious call from Stuart Attwell to allow Bergvall to go unpunished with what looked like a second light yellow card for a late tackle Kostas Tsimikas.
To make matters worse, Tsimikas was waiting to get back on the pitch when Solanke turned expertly and fed Bergvall, who slotted a fine low finish past Alisson.
“I don’t think there’s any debate about it,” Slot said on whether Bergvall should have been fired.
Given Liverpool’s dynamism under the Dutchman’s leadership, they will have high hopes of overturning the deficit on February 6.
Both teams have seven games between now and then. Liverpool must focus on their quest for the Premier League title, while Tottenham’s run includes the north London derby at Arsenal and tricky trips to Everton and Brentford, all during what appears to be a crucial transfer window remains open.
But for Postecoglou, there is now a fixed point of optimism on the horizon: a rematch in which they hold a pre-existing, albeit narrow, advantage to shine like a beacon throughout a difficult month. It will take another mammoth effort to finish the job and reach Wembley, but Postecoglou, for his part, will be feeling reinvigorated for the fight.
