Tottenham Hotspur manager Ange Postecoglou has hit out at people who mock him after guiding his side to a narrow victory over Liverpool in the EFL Cup semi-final first leg.
Tottenham Hotspur, who are toiling in 11th place in the Premier League rankings hosted division leaders Liverpool for their EFL Cup semi-final first leg on Wednesday, 8th January. The Reds unsurprisingly dominated possession (60%) and had more shots (14 to 9), but Lilywhites had the last laugh.
Lucas Bergvall, a sprightly 18-year-old central midfielder from Sweden, popped up with the winning strike in the 86th minute. Dominic Solanke superbly beat Ibrahima Konate in a duel before playing the ball to Bergvall. The teenager hit it the first time and found the bottom corner.
Ange Postecoglou Shoots Blunt Warning After Tottenham Hotspur’s Win Over Liverpool
Earlier this season, Postecoglou reminded everyone that he had a penchant for winning trophies in his second season at a club. After the victory, Sky Sports asked him whether he was still confident of keeping his streak alive.
Responding to the question, Postecoglou bluntly said:
“People can keep mocking me about it but we will see.
“It is only half-time and going to Liverpool is not easy but just that feeling of having a victory against a really strong opponent I want the players to feel good about it.”
He also produced a sarcastic reply when it was suggested that Bergvall was lucky to avoid a second yellow after his challenge on Kostas Tsimikas, which left Liverpool with 10 men during the winning goal.
The former Celtic manager added:
“Yeah, that’s a great question! No [Bergvall] wasn’t [lucky]. People misinterpret my comments from the other day. The rule is – and we have been told for quite a while now – that if an advantage gets played and as long as it’s not a cynical tackle, it’s not a yellow card.”
“We’ve been screaming for it for the last two months It’s happened to us consistently, have a look at our games. To me, that was pretty clear. That is the rules and we abided by them today.”
The nail-biting EFL Cup semi-final second leg will take place at Anfield Stadium on 6th February.
