Arne Slot bemoaned Liverpool’s ill fortune as they slipped to a last-gasp 1-0 defeat at Tottenham in the first leg of the Carabao Cup semi-final; a rare setback in an otherwise serene season.
Liverpool were expecting to see a second yellow card for the Spurs midfielder, Lucas Bergvall, after he cut through Kostas Tsimikas, who was forced off for treatment. But the referee, Stuart Attwell, spared Bergvall and, with Tsimikas still off the pitch, Bergvall ran on to a Dominic Solanke pass to score the decisive goal.
Attwell had earlier made a piece of history when he announced to the stadium via his microphone that the VAR had disallowed a Solanke goal for offside. Spurs would overcome the disappointment and they will take the advantage to Anfield for the second leg on 6 February.
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“After a review, Dominic Solanke was in an offside position in the buildup to the goal, therefore the decision is offside.”
With those words relayed to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium over loudspeakers after 78 minutes, Stuart Attwell made history as the first referee in English football to announce the details of a VAR decision to those inside the stadium, with the innovation being trialled for the first time in these Carabao Cup semi-finals. Spurs’ dismay did not last long, as Lucas Bergvall fired them ahead with a legitimate strike just eight minutes later.
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“I saw Ange [Postecoglou, the Spurs manager] sat here on Sunday, unhappy with decisions made,” Slot said, with a nod towards the Spurs manager’s grievances with the referee during his team’s 2-1 Premier League loss against Newcastle.
“People say decisions even themselves out but I am not a believer of that. I believe you can be unlucky or lucky in decisions in a season. Yes, a decision went against them on Sunday and went in favour of them today, which, of course, is very unlucky for us. A moment like this … if you go down to 10 men for a few seconds against a team as good as Tottenham – it is far from ideal.
“I think anyone would prefer the card was given [for Bergvall] than have advantage played 40 yards from their own goal. The other question is: was it reckless enough to play advantage and come back and say the tackle was still reckless? And enough to give a yellow. He [Attwell] had to tell everyone what his decision [on the disallowed Solanke goal] was but unfortunately he didn’t have to do it for this decision. The good thing is there is a second leg but it’s a far from ideal position for us.”
The Liverpool captain, Virgil van Dijk, said: “I think it was quite obvious it was going to be a second yellow [for Bergvall]. It was pretty clear. And a minute later he scores the winner … a coincidence.
Virgil van Dijk makes his feelings clear to referee Stuart Attwell after the final whistle as Lucas Bergvall gets involved. Photograph: Tom Jenkins/The Guardian
“He [the referee] made a mistake in my opinion and I told him that. He thinks he didn’t but it was quite obvious 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.”
Postecoglou saluted his players, who overcame the adversity of seeing Rodrigo Bentancur taken from the field on a stretcher in the 15th minute after a worrying collapse. Spurs reported at half-time that the midfielder was conscious and talking.
On the Bergvall controversy, he added: “He wasn’t lucky to be on the pitch. If the advantage gets played and it’s not a cynical tackle, then it’s not a yellow. We’ve been screaming for it in the last two months and that’s what we’ve been told.”
Postecoglou also bemoaned the innovation of referees announcing VAR decisions inside the stadium. “I’m really surprised at how people in this country are so easily letting the game change so much so quickly,” he said. “It’s changed more since VAR has come in since I’ve been involved than in the past 50 years. I mean, did everyone really love the announcement today? [But] this is what the people want. That’s what I keep getting told.
“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. 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.”
