Lucas Bergvall scored the winner for Tottenham as they defeated Liverpool 1-0
But the Swede was perhaps fortunate to avoid a second yellow during the game
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A furious Arne Slot was left raging when Lucas Bergvall escaped a second yellow card to score Tottenham’s winner in the Carabao Cup semi-final first leg against Liverpool.
Reds boss Slot was incensed on the touchline when Bergvall, already on a booking, scythed down Kostas Tsimikas in the build-up to the goal but escaped further punishment.
‘I don’t think there’s any debate about it,’ said Slot. ‘I think I saw Ange sitting here on Saturday and Spurs weren’t happy with a few decisions.
'One went against them, tonight maybe one went in favour of them.
‘The decisions is made, you can’t change it. When he didn’t give the second yellow card, no one thought it would have such a big impact 30 seconds later.
'I am 99.9 per cent certain I was not the only one who didn’t feel the best when it went in. It was, for him [the referee] also far from ideal.’
Before Bergvall's contentious intervention, the two sides had played out a tight encounter at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and it looked set to end goalless after Dominic Solanke saw a goal ruled out for offside midway through the second half.
Yet, in the 86th minute Bergvall finished superbly following good work from the tireless Solanke to net his first goal for Spurs.
After being booked in the first half for a sliding challenge on Luis Diaz - although replays suggested the Colombian went down with minimal contact - Bergvall had taken Tsimikas out with another sliding tackle in the second period.
However, Stuart Attwell didn't show Bergvall a second yellow card, with the 18-year-old's goal coming moments after the tackle.
To add insult to injury, Tsimikas was off the pitch waiting to come back on due to the challenge when the Swede netted, with the Reds temporarily down to 10 men.
The Liverpool bench were left fuming, with one member of the coaching staff receiving a yellow card from Attwell for his protests, while Arne Slot was seen remonstrating with the fourth official.
Reds captain Virgil van Dijk also took his ire out on the officials post-match and claimed they must do better.
'I think it was quite obvious it was going to be a second yellow (for Lucas Bergvall),' he added.
'I think it was pretty clear. It was a coincidence and a minute later he scores the winner.
'It is what it is. He (the referee) made a mistake in my opinion and I told him that. He thinks he didn't but it was quite obvious I think and everyone on the sidelines knew it was supposed to be a yellow.
'There's a linesman there, a fourth official there, there's VAR, a referee and he doesn't get a second yellow. I'm not saying this is the reason why we lost tonight but it was a big moment in the game.'
Speaking in the Sky Sports studio, Michael Dawson and Jamie Redknapp agreed with the Liverpool pair and were adamant that Spurs had got away with one.
'Stuart Attwell puts himself in a position as I don't think the first one is a yellow card with the one on Luis Diaz,' Dawson said.
'The one thing I would say with Bergvall is that he gives Stuart Attwell an opportunity and a decision to make. Stuart Attwell got that first one wrong, I don't think it was a yellow card.
'The second one, I have no defence for Bergvall, he lunges and catches Tsimikas. If he gets one right and one wrong, you can't even it up.
'Liverpool are punished off the back of that as a few moments later the ball is in the back of the net.
'I can understand Liverpool's frustration. Once the first yellow card is given, you are wanting a second yellow card without a shadow of a doubt.'
Redknapp added: 'You would be fuming (if you were Liverpool). It has a monumental effect on the rest of the game.
'Tsimikas has to come off for treatment leaving Liverpool with 10 men. He comes off for 30 seconds, so not only is Bergvall on the pitch but they have to play with 10 men and you can see it changes the shape of the team
'A brilliant bit of play from their (Spurs') perspective but if you are a Liverpool coach, player and fan, you are wondering why he is on the pitch and our left back isn't.'
However, despite the general consensus that Spurs were lucky, Postecoglou was adamant that the correct decision had been made, pointing to a little-known rule.
He said: 'He wasn’t (lucky). People misinterpreted my comments from the other day. The rule is and we have been told for quite a while now that if advantage gets played, as long as it is not for a cynical tackle then the yellow card [doesn’t get given].
'We have been screaming for it for the last two months. It has happened to us consistently, have a look at our games.
'We have asked the officials and they have said, if you play advantage and it is not a cynical tackle then the yellow card does not get played. To me, that was pretty clear.'
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Spurs had earlier been denied by VAR when Solanke’s goal was ruled out for offside and referee Attwell made history by announcing the decision over the stadium speakers.
‘If it is offside, you don’t need to explain anything,’ said Slot. ‘Everyone saw it on the screen. It would be more interesting for everyone why he didn’t explain the second yellow card than why he cancelled the goal.’
Meanwhile, Tottenham midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur was sent to hospital after he suffered a worrying injury early in the game.
Bentancur appeared to be knocked unconscious after hitting his head on the ground six minutes in before medics and team-mates rushed to help before he was stretchered from the field after eight minutes of treatment.
Bentancur gave a thumbs-up from the stretcher to Postecoglou as he left the field.
‘I’m not going to speculate but it was a head injury and there was concern from players out there. He was conscious when coming off the field and been taken to hospital,’ said Postecoglou.
The Spurs boss then went on a rant about VAR but admitted the luck had gone in his side’s favour this time.
‘I am surprised at how people in this country are so easily letting the game change so much so quickly,’ he said.
‘I thought more people would be protecting the sanctity of the game. You guys think you are custodians of the game. You sing It’s Coming Home, yet it takes an Aussie from the other side of the world to speak up. Today it advantaged us. Just leave the game alone for a bit.’
The victory was a crucial one for Postecoglou, with the result Spurs' first win in five matches amid a monumental injury crisis.
They will hope to take confidence from the performance over the next few weeks, before the second leg of the tie takes place at Anfield on Thursday, February 6.