Tottenham’s impressive maturity could be the key to saving their season
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Tottenham 1-0 Liverpool: Lucas Bergvall scored the winning goal as Spurs’ performance against Liverpool showed signs of much-needed improvement. It’s a bit early to say this was a night when Tottenham Hotspur’s young team came of age, but this was an impressive show of maturity when they most needed it. It might well save their season, just as Liverpool’s has a slight sense of lag. The Premier League leaders were still very energised about the Lucas Bergvall goal that won this Carabao Cup semi-final first leg, with complaints that the goalscorer should have had a second booking eventually seeing Arne Slot unusually losing his cool.
![[Lucas Bergvall netted the only goal of the game, his first for Tottenham]](https://static.independent.co.uk/2025/01/08/22/2025-01-08T215606Z_75265140_UP1EL181OXGXT_RTRMADP_3_SOCCER-ENGLAND-TOT-LIV-REPORT.jpg)
It was symbolic of a display where Liverpool were nowhere near the smoothness of the opening months of the campaign. Duly, this was the first time this season they went two games without a win, after Sunday’s 2-2 draw against Manchester United. The night looked like it could be overshadowed by a concerning moment where Rodrigo Bentancur looked like he lost consciousness for an eight-minute stoppage, but Spurs mercifully reported he was awake and speaking and was going to hospital for further checks.
![[Dominic Solanke thought he’d given Spurs the lead only for his goal to be ruled out for offside]](https://static.independent.co.uk/2025/01/08/22/2025-01-08T214812Z_1074931450_UP1EL181OKAXG_RTRMADP_3_SOCCER-ENGLAND-TOT-LIV-REPORT.jpg)
His teammates went and won the match for him, something all the more impressive given many of them lost 6-3 to the same opposition just weeks ago. The tie is of course far from over given they have to play at Anfield in a month, but it did feel something of a recharge for Spurs. Ange Postecoglou so badly needed this, even as no one outside of Spurs would have expected anything.
![[Mo Salah (left) had an uncharacteristically quiet night for Liverpool]](https://static.independent.co.uk/2025/01/08/21/2192410025.jpg)
