Tottenham were good value for their narrow, streetwise win having been torn to shreds by Liverpool only a matter of weeks ago
Liverpool's hopes of retaining the Carabao Cup were dealt a huge blow after losing 1-0 at Tottenham in the first leg of their semi-final. Arne Slot's men were unable to produce a strong response to Sunday's surprise draw with Manchester United and have it all to do in the return fixture at Anfield early next month.
Wednesday night's encounter was a far cry from the Reds' 6-3 win at this ground a couple of weeks ago, with Ange Postecoglou's side much improved on this occasion.
Though Liverpool came into the game as clear favourites, the first major chance went the way of Tottenham. A corner from Dejan Kulusevski curled all the way to Son Heung-min at the back edge of the box, and while his shot was skewed, the ball was turned towards goal by Radu Dragusin, forcing Alisson into an impressive save low to his right. This was immediately followed by eight minutes of medical treatment for Rodrigo Bentancur, who went down off the ball and appeared to lose consciousness.
Spurs then went close when Son scampered past Conor Bradley and drilled a cross to the near post, but Dominic Solanke could only flick the delivery onto his own shin and the ball bobbled behind. Liverpool soon had their first sight of goal soon after, with Mohamed Salah dragging an effort wide from 20 yards.
After the break, the hosts ought to have gone in front. Alisson was caught in possession twice by Lucas Bergvall, with his kick landing at the feet of Pedro Porro. The Spaniard's initial shot was blocked by Virgil van Dijk, before he spooned the second wide to the disbelief of the entire ground.
It was Liverpool's turn to go extremely close next when substitute Trent Alexander-Arnold's shot was cleared off the line by Dragusin, with Alexis Mac Allister turning the rebound wide.
With 15 minutes remaining, it appeared to be Spurs who broke the deadlock. Porro's pass round the back of the Liverpool defence found Solanke sprinting in behind, and he coolly slotted under Alisson. However, after a lengthy VAR check, Solanke was deemed offside, with the decision announced over the tannoy system by referee Stuart Attwell in a first for English football.
But with their next attack, Spurs indeed went ahead. Porro again opened up Liverpool with a through ball for Solanke to chase, and he in turn found Bergvall – who was controversially not shown a second yellow card for a foul on Kostas Tsimikas seconds earlier – to sweep past Alisson and send the home fans into delirium.
Seven minutes were added at the end of the 90, during which Darwin Nunez brought a tremendous save out of Tottenham debutant Antonin Kinsky, getting down to the right to claw the Uruguayan's shot away, but that was as close as Liverpool came to a crucial equaliser.
GOAL rates Liverpool's players from Tottenham Hotspur Stadium…
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Alisson (5/10):
Came to his side's rescue early on with a tremendous save to deny Dragusin. Got away with not one but two lapses in concentration on the ball in the second half, but those errors went mercifully unpunished by Porro.
Conor Bradley (7/10):
When the experienced players around him were panicking and losing composure, the 21-year-old stood up with an impressive defensive display, flying into challenges and muscling Spurs' attackers off the ball. Taken off for Alexander-Arnold.
Jarell Quansah (5/10):
Withdrawn with injury after half an hour, but prior to that gave the ball away in the defensive third and brought the visible ire of partner Van Dijk.
Virgil van Dijk (7/10):
Absolutely dominant on a night where his team really needed the best of him. Ensured so many budding Tottenham attacks ended prematurely with his supreme presence. Couldn't hold back the flood for the full 90.
Kostas Tsimikas (5/10):
Received a berating from Van Dijk early on when playing a pass straight into the path of Solanke. Improved thereafter, though not enough to make Andy Robertson worry too much about the security of his place in the short term.
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Ryan Gravenberch (6/10):
Motored his way through midfield by force rather than with the subtle elegance he has so often displayed this season.
Alexis Mac Allister (6/10):
A disruptor to Tottenham's build up, though like Gravenberch wasn't as prolific at opening up his opponents with intricate passing. Substituted for Konate late in the day.
Curtis Jones (5/10):
An aggressive man-marking job by Spurs' rotating cast of midfielders saw Jones muzzled out of the game.
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Mohamed Salah (4/10):
Having gone close with Liverpool's first opening of the evening, Salah then failed to wriggle free from the shackles of Djed Spence. A disappointing night for the Ballon d'Or favourite.
Diogo Jota (5/10):
Didn't make the most of a chance to start up top. Found Gakpo with a lovely piece of ingenuity on the half-volley midway through the first half but provided little else before coming off for Nunez.
Cody Gakpo (5/10):
Tried his best to power in behind Porro but too often found the door slammed shut in his face. Replaced by Diaz.
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Wataru Endo (5/10):
A 30th-minute sub for Quansah, filling straight in at centre-back. Looked out of place with Liverpool's pass-heavy style.
Darwin Nunez (6/10):
One of three players brought on with an hour on the clock, replacing Jota. Ran the hard yards to no avail.
Trent Alexander-Arnold (6/10):
Serenaded by the sizeable travelling contingent in the away end. Pinged some impressive passes in an attempt to carve Tottenham open and saw a sublime strike cleared off the line.
Luis Diaz (5/10):
Came on for Gakpo, though couldn't bring much of a spark.
Ibrahima Konate (5/10):
Replaced Mac Allister to allow Endo back into midfield. Failed to get tight enough to Solanke for Spurs' winner.
Arne Slot (5/10):
You can't blame the Liverpool head coach for his selection, but his players weren't at the races and didn't lay too much of a glove on a Tottenham team there for the taking.
