Liverpool have defensive issues to address if they are to succeed in their pursuit of trophies
Liverpool headed home with a burning sense of injustice after their 24-game unbeaten run was ended in controversial fashion at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Arne Slot was furious that referee Stuart Attwell did not show Lucas Bergvall a second yellow card for clattering Kostas Tsimikas shortly before the Swedish teenager scored a late winner in last night’s Carabao Cup semi-final first leg. With Tsimikas off the field following treatment, Liverpool were down to 10 men when the goal went in, inflicting their first defeat since Nottingham Forest won 1-0 at Anfield on September 14.
“I don’t think there’s any debate,” Slot said. “They say he (Bergvall) didn’t stop the counter-attack. I think every manager would prefer to have a second yellow card for the other team rather than to finish the counter-attack with a man less to play with.
“Nobody would have thought it would have such a big impact 30 seconds later. I’m 99.9 per cent sure that when Bergvall scored, the referee was like, ‘Ah, is this really happening?’ He couldn’t change it anymore.”
🌟 Another teenage star making his mark in the #CarabaoCup!#EFL | @SpursOfficial pic.twitter.com/GrdmXK0zEX — Carabao Cup (@Carabao_Cup) January 8, 2025
🌟 Another teenage star making his mark in the #CarabaoCup!#EFL | @SpursOfficial pic.twitter.com/GrdmXK0zEX
— Carabao Cup (@Carabao_Cup) January 8, 2025
The damage can be repaired in the second leg on February 6. The Carabao Cup holders will fancy their chances of overturning the narrow deficit at home and booking a return to Wembley on March 16 against either Arsenal or Newcastle.
But the finale to Wednesday’s game should not cloud the fact that Liverpool served up such an uninspiring display overall.
For the second successive game, following Sunday’s 2-2 home draw against a struggling Manchester United in the Premier League, Slot’s side lacked the energy, dynamism, control and composure they have showcased for most of the Dutchman’s six-month reign so far.
Once again they missed the athleticism and creativity of Dominik Szoboszlai, who remains sidelined by illness. Mohamed Salah and Cody Gakpo both seemed subdued and Diogo Jota is still striving for post-injury sharpness as he made his first start since October 20.
Tottenham, thrashed 6-3 by Liverpool here in the league just 17 days earlier, were already without 10 first-team players when they lost midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur amid worrying scenes early on. Yet the Premier League leaders failed to exploit that vulnerability as they lacked sufficient intensity.
On that previous visit just before Christmas, Liverpool won possession in the final third on 10 occasions compared to five for Spurs. They also created 11 big chances (as defined by Opta) to two. Last night, the tables were turned, with both those stats in the hosts’ favour: 5-2 on possession won in the final third and 4-3 on big chances.
A second defeat in their 29 matches under Slot is hardly cause for major concern. Six points clear at the top of the Premier League with a game in hand, leading the way in the Champions League with a 100 per cent record after six of the eight league-phase rounds and potentially 90 minutes from a Wembley final in this competition is a position of incredible strength.
Key personnel will get to put their feet up when League Two outfit Accrington Stanley visit in the FA Cup on Saturday. It would be a surprise if Alisson, Virgil van Dijk, Ibrahima Konate, Ryan Gravenberch, Alexis Mac Allister, Salah, Gakpo and Luis Diaz are not among those given the day off. No risks can be taken with a crunch league trip to in-form Forest coming up on Tuesday.
Instead, the third-round tie against opponents who are sixth from bottom in the fourth tier of English football should provide a platform for talented youngsters such as Jayden Danns, James McConnell and Trey Nyoni. Harvey Elliott also needs minutes after being overlooked last night, Federico Chiesa should make only his second start since joining the club in the summer and Darwin Nunez is set to be involved, given he will serve a one-match ban against Forest.
It’s at the back where Slot has less room for manoeuvre.
Illness rather than injury forced Jarell Quansah off in the first half here and it remains to be seen how quickly he recovers. Quansah has endured a difficult season so far, with his confidence taking a succession of knocks.
With Joe Gomez (hamstring) already sidelined, Wataru Endo is likely to be getting more game time as a makeshift centre-back. It’s a position the 31-year-old Japan international played earlier in his career at Shonan Bellmare and Urawa Red Diamonds in his homeland but performing there at this level is a different matter.
Slot initially turned to Endo rather than Konate off the bench on Wednesday as he is keen to avoid overburdening the Frenchman so soon after his return from six weeks out with a knee injury. When Konate was introduced late on, he did not cover himself in glory in the build-up to the goal as he was shrugged off the ball far too easily by centre-forward Dominic Solanke. However, keeping him fit is going to be crucial for Liverpool in the second half of the season.
If Quansah is not back to face Accrington, Slot could give a debut to 18-year-old centre-back Amara Nallo, who has been an unused first-team substitute four times since joining the academy from West Ham United’s 18 months ago.
Van Dijk has been immense but Liverpool have started to creak defensively.
Yes, there were mitigating circumstances for the goal they conceded here, given they were down to 10 men momentarily and got caught out. But earlier in the night Van Dijk had to make a goal-saving block after sloppy play from Alisson and then Pedro Porro missed a sitter. Solanke also had a goal ruled out after a tight offside call.
Just like Sunday, it was too open and it was too easy to get at Slot’s side. In the opening months of the season, they looked more compact and secure.
Since back-to-back clean sheets in wins against Real Madrid and Manchester City in November and early December, Liverpool have conceded 13 goals in nine games in all competitions. Their only shutouts in that run have come against Girona (eighth in La Liga) and West Ham (14th in the Premier League).
The Briefing: Tottenham 1 Liverpool 0 - Bergvall's winner, Bentancur stretchered off, Slot's side toothless
“Very unlucky for us, because I never felt we were going to lose,” Slot said post-match. “Especially not after the first 15 to 20 minutes, because I did feel Spurs started the game better than us. But after that, in my opinion, we had most of the game control, played most of the game in their half, had much more ball possession and then a moment like this… If you go down to 10 for a few seconds against a team that can play good football, like Tottenham can, it’s far from ideal.”
Bergvall’s late twist cut deep but the reality is that what Liverpool had served up before it was far from polished.
(Top photo: Nigel French/Sportsphoto/Allstar via Getty Images)
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