Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou admits he has ‘seen so much growth’ in his squad despite recent results after Spurs beat Liverpool 1-0 in the first leg of the EFL Cup semi-final on Wednesday .
Teenager Lucas Bergvall scored his first goal for the club four minutes from time to end Liverpool’s 24-match unbeaten run and give Tottenham a slight advantage ahead of the second leg at Anfield in a month’s time.
The win was Spurs’ first since the last-16 win over Manchester United as Postecoglou’s side look to reinvigorate their season.
Victory in the first leg! 🙌 pic.twitter.com/ktX5W2OTjA
–Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) January 8, 2025
The match, however, was marred by what appeared to be a very serious injury to Rodrigo Bentancur in the first half, which resulted in the midfielder being hospitalized.
Postecoglou said Bentancur was now conscious but admitted he did not have “all the information”.
Speaking about his team’s performance, the Spurs boss was quick to praise the players.
“I thought we deserved it that night,” Postecoglou told Sky Sports.
“The boys gave everything and I’m really happy that the players are getting rewards.
“We constantly face adversity. It’s amazing when you think we have a few 18 year olds. I’ve seen so much growth, it’s just masked 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 match was whether or not match winner Bergvall should have been on the field to score his goal.
Ange Postecoglou passionately defends the decision to keep Lucas Bergvall on the pitch 👀 pic.twitter.com/doOpVc0BEE
– Sky Sports Football (@SkyFootball) January 8, 2025
Moments before finding the net, the Swede, who was already receiving a yellow card, committed a foul on Konstantinos Tsimikas, but referee Stuart Attwell chose not to warn him.
Asked if his player was lucky to be on the pitch, the Spurs boss defended his decision: “We’ve been asking for it for months, it’s happened to us regularly.
“If the advantage is played, if it is not a cynical tackle, a yellow is not played. For me it was pretty clear.
Next up for Spurs is a trip to National League side Tamworth in the FA Cup third round proper on Sunday.
