Tottenham Hotspur 1-0 Liverpool Player Ratings: Bergvall shines as Spurs secure a shocking win over Liverpool

Tottenham Hotspur surprisingly stun the Premier League leaders Liverpool with a 1-0 win, thanks to a goal from young midfielder Lucas Bergvall, despite having a depleted squad. The return leg will be at Anfield on 6th Feb, approximately a month after this first leg.

Tottenham handed a debut to their new signing Antonin Kinsky and another summer signing Yang Min-hyeok, who was signed in the summer, but joined the club recently, made the bench. Liverpool put their near-strength eleven, handing rests to Ibrahima Konate and the potentially Real Madrid-bound Trent Alexander Arnold.

Liverpool started on the front foot but an error from Tsimikas almost cost Liverpool as Tottenham pounced on the opportunity but Van Dijk prevented the error. The game was halted, after Rodrigo Bentancur suffered an injury during a set-piece routine and was taken off the pitch on a stretcher. The long stoppage somehow helped Tottenham as they began to take advantage of the visitors who were sloppy with possession. Spurs almost scored a goal when Son squared the ball to Solanke after a fantastic counter attack. Liverpool quickly responded to that with an attempt from outside the box from Mohamed Salah that strayed wide. The game took another prisoner, as Quansah became the second player to go off the pitch because of an injury. Liverpool regained the dominance, as they got another chance via a set-piece, which they executed it to perfection until the finish, which did not trouble the keeper at all. It was a forgettable half overall having faced several stoppages.

Tottenham got a golden opportunity in the second half, when Alisson made a mistake because of Bergvall’s pressure but Pedro Porro failed to capitalise on it. Both the teams looked like they were just happy to see the game out and play for everything in the second leg. One of the clearances of the season was seen in the game when Dragusin expertly blocked a shot off Trent Alexander-Arnold. A controversial moment took place as Lucas Bergvall made a bad tackle on Tsimikas but escaped a booking. But moments later, he scored the opening goal after Solanke comfortably wins the duel against Konate and sets him up really well.

Tottenham Hotspur Player Ratings vs Liverpool

Goalkeeper

Kinsky: 7.5/10 – As expected, the debutant was very busy tonight. He was really good with his feet, trying out some incredible line-breaking passes.

Defenders

Porro: 7.5/10 – He showed some defensive solidarity tonight, keeping up with Gakpo. He missed a golden opportunity to put his team up front.

Gray: 7.5/10 – The makeshift centreback did really well to counter the deadly Liverpool attack.

Dragusin: 7/10 – He made an unbelievable clearance to keep the clean sheet.

Spence: 7.5/10 – He was superb on the ball, made some good passes and defended really well against Mohamed Salah.

Midfielders

Bissouma: 7.5/10 – An early booking in the first half for a foul, despite that he won the ball frequently, regaining possession.

Bergvall: 9/10 – He was given the license to roam and was confident on the ball, often passing with precision. He was lucky to escape a second yellow card late in the second half. He took his chance incredibly well and scored the opening goal.

Bentancur: 4/10 – An unfortunate injury early in the game resulted in his substitution.

Forwards

Kulusevski: 7/10 – The attacker moved to midfield after an injury to Bentancur. He continued his form, winning the ball and moving it forward with ease.

Son: 6/10 – The captain was threatening as usual on the break with his passing and speed, but was not clinical upfront like he used to be, shying away from taking shots.

Solanke: 7.5/10 – He dropped deep to collect the ball and distribute it wide. He was the only player to put the ball in the back of the net but unfortunately was deemed for offside. He did an excellent job to win the duel vs Konate and set Bergvall up for the opening goal.

Substitutes

Johnson: 6/10

Werner: 6.5/10

Manager

Ange Postecoglou: 9/10 – His side have dominated phases of play despite having a depleted squad. He did a fantastic job to counter the favourites of the fixture and will be very happy with the result.

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Liverpool Player Ratings vs Tottenham Hotspur

Goalkeeper

Alisson: 5.5/10 – An off day for the Brazilian, especially with his passing. He was caught slacking by Bergvall and was very lucky to escape unscathed.

Defenders

Bradley: 6/10 – The fullback was solid defensively but failed to affect the game on the attacking front like Trent.

Van Dijk: 7.5/10 – He prevented an early goal defending expertly. Some of his passes tonight were extraordinary.

Quansah: 4/10 – He got subbed off in the first half itself unfortunately because of an injury.

Tsimikas: 7/10 – He did a good job on set-piece delivery and could have ended up with an assist.

Midfielders

Jones: 6/10 – He was energetic and well-involved but was not that impactful.

MacAllister: 6.5/10 – He did well to get on the receiving end of killer balls but he could have done much better with the header in the first half.

Gravenberch: 6.5/10 – A good outside-the-box attempt, a well-timed tackle in the added time of second half, but nothing notable apart from that.

Forwards

Salah: 6/10 – The Egyptian King, who has been on an incredible run, had an off game tonight, unable to influence the game like he usually does.

Jota: 5.5/10 – A disappointing night for the forward who worked hard tirelessly but lacked the clinical edge in the final third.

Gakpo: 6.5/10 – He posed problems to the hosts with his speed and movement, but could have been better with his finishing.

Substitutes

Endo: 6.5/10

Alexander-Arnold: 6/10

D. Nunez: 6/10

Diaz: 6.5/10

Konate: 5/10

Manager

Arne Slot: 6/10: – There was no fluency to his side tonight and have created very little in the way of chances. He made changes in the second half but to no avail. It is not over yet as they can prepare well in the upcoming month for the return leg.

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