Tottenham Hotspur manager Ange Postecoglou admitted he has “seen a lot of progress” in his side despite recent results after Spurs beat Liverpool 1-0 in the first leg of their 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 send Spurs into the second leg at Anfield after a month's advantage.
It was Spurs' first win against Manchester United in their last eight as Postecoglou's side look to reinvigorate their season.
He won the first round. 🙌 pic.twitter.com/ktX5W2OTjA
— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) January 8 2025
However, the match began in the first half with what appeared to be a serious injury to Rodrigo Bentancur, which sent the midfielder to hospital.
Postecoglou admitted Bentancur was now sober but he did not have “all the facts”.
The coach of the Spurs team praised the players about the performance of the Spurs team.
“I think we deserved it on the night,” Postecoglou told Sky Sports.
“The boys gave everything and I'm really pleased to win the players' award.
“We are in trouble all the time. It's unbelievable when you think we have a couple of 18-year-olds. I saw a lot of progress; It hides in our poor form.
“But it's only half-time and going to Liverpool is not easy.”
One of the main talking points after the game was whether Bergvall should have been on the field to score his goal, the winner.
Ange Postecoglou passionately defends the decision to keep Lucas Bergvall on the pitch. pic.twitter.com/doOpVc0BEE
— Sky Sports Football (@SkyFootball) January 8 2025
The already yellow-carded Swede fouled Konstantinos Tsimikas moments before finding the net, but referee Stuart Attwell opted to book him.
Asked if his player was lucky to be on the field, the Spurs boss defended the decision: “We've been screaming for months. This has always been the case for us.
“If you win, you can't play yellow unless it's a foul tackle. To me, that's pretty clear.”
Spurs next travel to National League side Tamworth for an FA Cup third round tie on Sunday.