Liverpool.com

Arne Slot selected a formidable starting XI for Liverpool's League Cup semi-final first leg against Tottenham Hotspur. Despite making four changes, key players including Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk, Alisson Becker and Ryan Gravenberch all kept their places.

However, the Reds didn't perform up to par, suffering a 1-0 defeat. This marked Slot's first away loss since his Feyenoord team was defeated by Celtic in the Champions League group stages back in December 2023.

This is only Slot's second defeat as Liverpool head coach since he took over from Jurgen Klopp last summer. He will be hoping for a return to winning form in the FA Cup third round on Saturday, where they host League Two Accrington Stanley at Anfield.

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With a Premier League match against title rivals Nottingham Forest on Tuesday, Slot is expected to rotate his squad significantly. However, this hasn't stopped criticism of Slot's selection decisions against Tottenham.

Former Chelsea defender Frank Leboeuf believes Slot made an error by starting both Van Dijk and Salah. "I think he should have rotated a little bit more," Leboeuf said on ESPN UK's YouTube channel. "It's the first leg of a semi-final, so you have that game in the FA Cup against Accrington Stanley.

"So you have an opportunity to rest players and they need a rest. After the tough winter time, they need a rest before starting the craziness of the end of the season.

"It would have been more clever to rest someone like Van Dijk and maybe some others like Salah to make sure they can play the second leg."

Speaking to Sky Sports ahead of kick-off, Slot explained his selection choices, particularly why Alisson and Diogo Jota were given starts while Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andy Robertson were benched. "It's mostly to do with Trent playing so many minutes because Conor Bradley was injured," he said about benching his vice-captain.

"Now it's a good thing we have Conor back who needs his minutes as well. You can see it on the opposite side with Robertson and Tsimikas. There are choices like playing Alisson and Jota, they are two players that came back from an injury. We think they need match rhythm in this period of time after coming back from an injury."

Liverpool fans’ concerns of another injury were eased after Wednesday’s Carabao Cup defeat against Tottenham Hotspur, with Arne Slot confirming Jarell Quansah did not pick up a knock during the game.

The center-back was replaced by Wataru Endo just before the half-hour mark in the semi-final first leg, after being handed a rare start by Slot.

“He didn’t feel really well, so from the moment the game started until the moment we had to take him off. He felt a pressure, I think he said on his chest,” the Liverpool boss said after the game, when asked about Quansah.

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“It went so fast: he came off and the game started again, so I have to ask him exactly, but he said he didn’t feel really well. It was not an injury, more not feeling really well. In the last few days he was a bit ill but we thought he was on his way back, but maybe that had something to do with it. I have to ask, but it had nothing to do with an injury.”

That leaves Liverpool with several selection concerns heading into Saturday’s FA Cup clash against Accrington Stanley. Along with Quansah, Dominik Szoboszlai is also struggling with illness and has missed the last two matches. Tyler Morton, who would have hoped to feature, also has an ankle problem.

“Yesterday, he wasn't in yet,” Slot said on Szoboszlai ahead of the trip to Spurs. “If he's in today, I would doubt if he's available to start the game.” The Liverpool boss will hope both Quansah and Szobaszlai are available to face Accrington, but he’s unlikely to rush either back for the third-round tie at Anfield.

Meanwhile, the only injury at present is Joe Gomez, who picked up a hamstring injury in Liverpool’s final match of 2024. Slot said the defender will be out for a ‘few weeks’, but it’s not clear when exactly he will return to the side.

With just one injury, Liverpool’s record is the best in the Premier League at present. The next lowest is the Reds’ next opponents Nottingham Forest, who have two injuries - Ibrahim Sangare and Danilo - while Manchester United has three and Arsenal and Fulham are without four players due to injury.

Liverpool suffered just its second defeat of the Arne Slot era on Wednesday night as it was beaten 1-0 by Tottenham Hotspur in the Carabao Cup semi-final.

It’s also the first time since the Dutchman’s appointment that Liverpool has gone two games without a win. That we’re in the new year underlines how incredible Slot’s start at Anfield has been, but there is no sense of panic from inside the dressing room.

Unsurprisingly, it’s Virgil van Dijk leading the sense of calmness. The personification of composure, the Liverpool captain led by example once again at Spurs with an excellent display. His leadership qualities were on show all night, whether it was telling Jarell Quansah to relax after an early error or pleading the team’s case to referee Stuart Atwell after Lucas Bergvall wasn’t sent off.

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He also put the recent run in perspective and is not concerned at all by a slight drop in standards over recent games.

“I’m not sure we were a level or two [below our best] but obviously at times I think we could have done better,” the center-back told Sky Sports after the match.

“But that’s part of football as well, you try to play your best game ever, every one of us, and at times we played through them nicely and we created some one-v-ones on the side and we created some dangerous moments.

“But they were able to defend it much better than they did when we played here a couple of weeks ago. And, yeah, we move on – we take it on the chin. Like I said, it’s half-time and we have another 90-plus minutes to go and like I said, I am really looking forward to that.”

The last point is the most important and Slot will hope Van Dijk’s stress-free outlook proves infectious. A one-goal lead heading to Anfield won’t offer Tottenham much comfort ahead of the second leg, and Ange Postecoglou will know it’s unlikely his team will be able to book a place at Wembley without netting in the reverse meeting in four weeks’ time.

That shouldn’t be a problem for free-scoring Spurs, although keeping the ball of its own net may prove more difficult for a side who, prior to Wednesday’s meeting against an understrength Liverpool, had kept just one clean sheet in the last 11 games.

Tottenham’s last shutout against Liverpool came in 2015, its last at Anfield in 2012. The Reds have won five of the last six meetings at Anfield, while Spurs' most recent win at Liverpool came nearly 14 years ago. Van Dijk’s right, there’s no need to worry just yet.

Arne Slot and Ange Postecoglou were in agreement that the referee’s in-stadium VAR announcement on Wednesday night felt unnecessary.

For the first time in English football history, a VAR decision was explained to the crowd in Liverpool’s 1-0 Carabao Cup defeat against Tottenham Hotspur. Stuart Atwell announced via his headset to the ground that Spurs’ goal had been chalked off due to Dominic Solanke being in an offside position before scoring in the 79th minute.

But it was a tweak that neither manager felt was necessary given the obvious nature of the decision. Instead, Slot thought a better use of the microphone system would have been to explain why Lucas Bergvall was not sent off late on.

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The 18-year-old was already on a booking before he slid in on Kostas Tsimikas and somehow managed to escape a second yellow despite catching the Liverpool defender. To rub salt in the wounds, minutes later the Swede fired in the only goal of the game to give Tottenham a first-leg lead ahead of the trip to Anfield in four weeks’ time.

Asked for his view on the night’s VAR interventions and the in-stadium announcement, Slot said: “I think you can't judge something on one game but if it's offside then I don't think anyone had to explain something. When he started explaining something, you saw a red and a blue line.

“I think it would be more interesting for everyone if he would've explained why he didn't give a second yellow card than explaining why he cancelled the goal, because that's what everybody could see on the screen.

“But I know that's not the rule. It's the rule to have these decisions when the VAR is involved, and the VAR was of course not involved in yes or no [for] a second yellow. In general, I think let's judge this not on an evening. Let's judge this if we see this a few more times.”

As for Postecoglou, he was in a typically dour mood despite Tottenham’s win, its first since 19 December.

“Do I welcome it? No,” he said, in response to the offside explanation. “If they'd shown the handball at the weekend would our supporters have been happy? I have to accept this is the way forward, accept I have to be a part of it. But it shouldn't surprise anyone if I'm not a cheerleader for those kind of things.

“I'm really surprised at how, what's the word I'm looking for, how people in this country are so easily letting the game change so much so quickly,” he added. “It's changed more since VAR has come in since I've been involved than in the past 50 years.

“We've just got to be careful about constantly - why do we want to change the game so much? And I know I'm going to be the old bloke in the stands that keeps shouting 'boo' every time and I'll be the only one, but I just thought people would be a little bit more protective about the sanctity of the game.

“I think there's a lot of confusion at the moment. That's my belief that the game is changing on the basis of technology, and I'm saying why isn't anyone speaking up about it? Especially in this country who, for all intents and purposes, you feel, you guys think you're custodians of the game, you've got a song that says 'it's coming home', this is your game, and yet it takes an Aussie from the other side of the world to be the one that's most conservative about changes.”

Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou insists goalscorer Lucas Bergvall did not deserve a red card against Liverpool on Wednesday.

The Reds suffered a 1-0 defeat to Spurs in the first leg of their Carabao Cup semifinal. Bergvall, 18, scored the winner in London just moments after avoiding a second yellow card for a late challenge on Liverpool defender Kostas Tsimikas.

Referee Stuart Attwell waved play on due to Liverpool maintaining possession. Yet the Reds were soon down to 10 players when Tsimikas left the field for treatment - and Bergvall and Tottenham made the most of that numerical advantage by scoring.

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Liverpool players were furious with Attwell's decision, with captain Virgil van Dijk leading the complaints. Yet Postecoglou believes Attwell made the right decision.

When probed on the incident by Sky Sports, Postecoglou replied: "Great question. No, he wasn't (fortunate to avoid a red card). He wasn't because... the rule is - and we've been told for quite a while now - that if advantage gets played, as long as it's not a cynical tackle, then a yellow card (does not get awarded).

"We've been screaming for it for the last two months. It's happened to us consistently, have a look at our games. We've asked officials and they've said, 'If we play advantage, as long as it's not a cynical tackle, then a yellow card doesn't get paid.' To me, that was pretty clear."

Postecoglou's comments came after Van Dijk told Sky Sports: "I think it was quite obviously that it was going to be a second yellow. Obviously think it was pretty clear (what I said to the referee). It was no coincidence then a minute later he scores the winner.

"But it is what it is. He made a mistake in my opinion and I told him that. It was quite obvious I think and everyone on the sidelines knew it was supposed to be a yellow. There is a linesman there, a fourth official. There is VAR there and a referee, and he doesn't get a second yellow. I'm not saying this is the reason we lost today, but it was a big moment in the game."

THE TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR STADIUM, NORTH LONDON // Liverpool and Spurs found only one goal between them in the first leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final. After a 3-6 just a couple of weeks ago, neither side was anywhere near its best in the final third here.

Rodrigo Bentancur was stretchered off after a lengthy delay in the first half with the Uruguayan midfielder having landed awkwardly while attempting to head the ball. Spurs say he is conscious and receiving medical attention, with everyone's fingers crossed for a speedy recovery.

Dominic Solanke thought he had the opening goal of the match only to be brought back for offside (the first VAR call in the English game to be announced on-field by the referee). Lucas Bergvall then did score with five minutes of normal time remaining.

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Winners

The likes of Conor Bradley, Kostas Tsimikas and Diogo Jota all looked rusty but they will only benefit from playing here. Each will have a role to play over the next few months and getting them up to speed will be important. Trent Alexander-Arnold, getting half an hour under his belt and looking much better than last weekend, can only be a good thing too (for him and Liverpool).

Losers

Curtis Jones didn't look like he knew where he should be for much of the first half. He kept having conversations with Arne Slot, who was shouting and pointing, but it never really clicked for him and Diogo Jota.

Jarell Quansah going off injured was far from ideal either. With Joe Gomez already out with a hamstring injury and Ibrahima Konate only just back, Liverpool is looking light of numbers at center-back again.

Player ratings

Alisson Becker (6). Made a big early save from Radu Dragusin from close range when he got down to push away the Romanian center-back's effort. Almost gave a goal away twice when he got away with a drag back and then was tackled by Lucas Bergvall. Fortunate.

Conor Bradley (6). Chosen ahead of Trent Alexander-Arnold, the Irishman looked rusty and took a fair while to get into the game. He hasn't played for a while and it showed with Bradley having little influence going forward.

Jarell Quansah (5). It was no surprise that he started with Ibrahima Konate having only just come back from injury. He looked a little nervy to begin with, giving possession away sloppily and without much pressure. He only lasted half an hour before being taken off through injury. Wataru Endo replaced him; a sign that Konate wasn't ready to play an hour.

Virgil van Dijk (7). Like against Manchester United, he needed to be on his game to help those around through a not-particularly-easy game. His positioning was good and he won plenty of headers.

Kostas Tsimikas (6). Started slowly and almost played Dominic Solanke in when he didn't see the England striker next to Van Dijk. Got into a couple of good crossing positions but couldn't make the most of them. Improved as the game went on.

Ryan Gravenberch (6). Solid in possession but bumped off the ball too easily a couple of times when he was caught on the wrong side of his man. There were lots of bodies around him at all times but he equally didn't give Dejan Kulusevski much space.

Alexis Mac Allister (6). Neat and tidy in the middle but not as scintillating as he has been at times lately. He could have scored had Salah not taken a good goalscoring chance off his toe.

Curtis Jones (6). Arne Slot was not happy at all with his positioning early in the game, as he continually spoke with both Jones and Diogo Jota. It was a team with changes and it didn't quite look right. He had a better second half but wasn't completely at it.

Mohamed Salah (6). Quieter than he normally is on the right-hand side but nearly caught out Antonin Kinsky, Spurs' new goalkeeper, with an audacious effort. Neither side was that effective in the final third.

Diogo Jota (5). Like the other players who haven't featured for a while, he looked more than a little rusty. His touch wasn't quite right and he was overhitting a lot of passes. Replaced just before the hour mark.

Cody Gakpo (6). He got into a couple of shooting positions but was often trying to do it all on his own. More often than not, he was crowded out, so even when he shot, it got blocked.

Substitutes

Wataru Endo (7). Slotted in at center-back, which is an unusual position, and performed better there than Quansah. His positioning was good and he looked comfortable on the ball before then moving into midfield.

Darwin Nunez (6). Showed plenty of willingness to run and track back, including ending up making a tackle at left-back when Spurs countered on one occasion. The one chance he had was smashed straight at the goalkeeper.

Luis Diaz (7). Offered a bit more pace and trickery in the Liverpool attack which was needed. Carved a couple of opportunities out but couldn't score.

THE TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR STADIUM, NORTH LONDON // Liverpool will have to come from behind in the second leg of its Carabao Cup tie with Spurs thanks to a late goal from Lucas Bergvall.

Rodrigo Bentancur was stretchered off after a lengthy delay in the first half. The Uruguayan landed awkwardly while attempting to head the ball from a corner, with Spurs confirming during the game that he is conscious and receiving medical attention, with everyone's fingers crossed for a speedy recovery.

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With Trent Alexander-Arnold having a nightmare at the worst possible time against Manchester United, the accusations of him being distracted were inevitable. There is certainly a strong argument that he needed another go from the off here to put it right quickly, but Slot had other ideas.

Twenty-one-year-old Conor Bradley came in from the start, with the Liverpool boss explaining pre-match that he simply wanted to get minutes into his legs — and rest Alexander-Arnold — after a period of not being able to do either of those things. Bradley certainly looked like he needed minutes. He grew into the game, but he started very slowly.

On the opposite side of his defense, Slot went with Kostas Tsimikas, he said for the same reasons. The Greek left-back is very much number two in the pecking order but Andy Robertson is not having the easiest of seasons. Indeed, the heat was taken off him last weekend by Alexander-Arnold being so poor.

Tsimikas also looked a bit shaky and almost teed up Dominic Solanke with one of his first touches. He too got better as the first half went on, but it was a far from convincing showing. He will benefit from the minutes.

First-half injury concerns

Bentancur going down as he did was a horrible sight and his teammates knew something was wrong straight away. After lengthy treatment on the field, he was stretchered off with plenty of medical assistance. Everyone will have their fingers crossed that it isn't as bad as it looked.

In a disrupted first half, Jarell Quansah went off too, to be replaced by Wataru Endo. Ibrahima Konate was among the subs but the Frenchman is just back from injury and clearly couldn't manage an hour or more. Quansah and Joe Gomez are now sidelined, which is far from ideal — but Endo, in fairness, largely did well in his place.

Diogo Jota working his way back

Beginning the season as the number one pick down the middle of Slot's attack, Diogo Jota had not started for Liverpool since the Chelsea game in which he got injured in mid-October. He has come off the bench in six matches since recovering, but the Portugal forward has had to be patient.

He needed to ensure he didn't lose his patience here too with his touch off and his passing miles away from its usual level. He very much looked like he had been thrown in from the cold, as was the case with Bradley and Tsimikas.

Like the full-back pairing, Jota will benefit from getting the minutes. It will be no bad thing that he got some proper action under his belt. In terms of this match, Luis Diaz might have been the better option, though Arne Slot will be thinking more long-term.

Trent Alexander-Arnold feelings clear

Coming on in the second half for half an hour or so, Alexander-Arnold played considerably better than he did against Manchester United. Frankly, he couldn't have been much worse.

It was timely with so much talk around him at the moment. He was beaten a couple of times by his man, but showed plenty of willingness and desire to chase back.

The away end made its feelings clear immediately when he came on, singing his name and roaring about the "Scouser in the team". Minutes later, an excellent shot of his was cleared off the line. This was a step in the right direction, for sure.

State of the tie

With Accrington Stanley coming up at the weekend, there was absolutely no need for Liverpool to make changes to its starting team here. In the case of the first-choice full-backs, neither played well against Manchester United and could argue with being benched.

Aside from that, it was exactly what you would expect. Alisson Becker got the nod in goal — presumably because Caoimhin Kelleher will get the weekend's game and Slot doesn't want his number one to be too out of rhythm by not playing two in a row — and Diogo Jota coming into the forward line is hardly a step down in quality.

It didn't show on the pitch, though. When the teams meet in the second leg at Anfield on Thursday, February 6, Liverpool will need to come from behind. Slot and his staff were getting increasingly frustrated on the touchline with his plan not being executed; his side has work to do in the second leg.

Center-back Jarrell Quansah exited Liverpool's League Cup semifinal against Tottenham Hotspur in the 30th minute with what head coach Arne Slot later deemed was an illness. The Reds went on to lose the match 1-0.

Slot elected to replace Quansah with midfielder Wataru Endo despite having Ibrahima Konate on the bench. Andy Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold were the only other defenders on the bench for the Reds.

Any absence for Quansah would compromise an already-thin Liverpool backline. Konate only just returned from an injury and looked a step slow in his side's 2-2 draw with Manchester United on Sunday. Joe Gomez suffered a hamstring injury in Liverpool's 5-0 win over West Ham in late December that will see him miss a few more weeks.

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That would leave the 33-year-old Virgil van Dijk - in the final year of his contract with the club - as the only fully fit central defender at the club. Konate did come on a defensive substitute in the second half.

The 21-year-old Quansah joined the Liverpool academy at the age of five and left the club on loan for League One side Bristol Rovers in 2023.

Quansah impressed early after getting a handful of appearances in both the League Cup and Europa League, earning Klopp's trust to feature 33 times in what proved to be a breakout campaign.

He was originally in the good graces of new manager Slot, starting the club's first game of the 2024-25 Premier League campaign against Ipswich Town. However, he was yanked at halftime after a nervy 45 minutes for Ibrahima Konate and hasn't started at center-back in the Premier League since.

A Quansah injury could force John Henry and FSG to open their checkbooks and sign a center back in the winter window. The club has been recently linked to Sevilla defender Loic Bade but it's likely they would explore any and all options.

Endo could deputize in defense on occasion if needed. The Japanese international lined up next to Quansah against Southampton in the League Cup quarterfinal.

However, moving Endo into defense would then compromise the Reds' depth in holding midfield. Liverpool will likely target another deep-lying midfield to compete with Ryan Gravenberch next summer.

Tottenham has confirmed that Rodrigo Bentancur is conscious after he suffered a worrying-looking injury during the opening minutes of Spurs' Carabao Cup semi-final first leg against Liverpool.

Bentancur went down unchallenged in the Reds' penalty area as he stooped to attempt to get his head on a corner taken by teammate Pedro Porro, but panic quickly ensued when the Uruguay international did not return to his feet.

Porro noticed something was awry within seconds and sprinted over to Bentancur, signalling the need for the Uruguay international to be seen to by medics, before other players from both teams cottoned on to the graveness of the situation and also joined in the please for medical help.

Bentancur was treated on the pitch for the best part of 10 minutes before being carried off on a stretcher with an oxygen mask over his mouth.

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Doctors remained with Bentancur inside the Spurs dressing room at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium beyond the half-time whistle, which was blown around 50 minutes after the injury had taken place.

During half-time, Spurs issued a short statement which said: "We can confirm Rodrigo is conscious, talking and will go to hospital for further checks."

A cheeky Tottenham Hotspur mascot made a plea for Virgil van Dijk to sign for his club prior to Wednesday’s Carabao Cup semi-final.

Spurs’ defensive woes have received much publicity in recent weeks with Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven injured at present. Given the January transfer window is currently open and Van Dijk’s future looks uncertain, one optimistic fan suggested the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium could be the ideal location for the experienced defender.

As the Liverpool players made their way back to the locker room, after warming up ahead of the Carabao Cup semi-final, they passed the Spurs mascots lined up in the tunnel. A shout of: “Virgil come to Tottenham, we don’t have any good defenders at the moment,” greeted the Liverpool skipper as he high-five the kids.

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Spurs does seem an unlikely destination despite the attempt of the plucky mascot - a hilarious moment that was widely shared on social media. The former Southampton man has been linked with a switch to Real Madrid in recent days - although the reports have been taken with a pinch of salt.

There’s still hope that the 33-year-old will pen a new deal and extend his stay beyond this season. Van Dijk’s form has remained consistently high this term, with the Dutchman not missing a single minute of Liverpool’s Premier League and Champions League campaigns.

Asked about his future at the weekend, Van Dijk said there is no new update. “I don’t think [there will be an update soon] but I am calm about it, like I said months ago,” he told Sky Sports.

“We’ll see what happens in the future and at this point I have absolutely no update. It’s all about at the moment focusing, for me and the team, on Spurs. It will be a tough game again, but a good semi-final.”

As for Spurs, the London club has endured some high-profile defensive woes in recent months, including conceding six against Liverpool last month and three against Manchester United just a few days prior.

Radu Dragusin and Archie Gray have filled in at the heart of defence in the last few weeks amid an injury crisis at the back, which has resulted in Tottenham failing to win any of the last four league matches and dropping to 12th in the table.