Lucas Bergvall scored the winning goal moments after avoiding a possible red card as Tottenham Hotspur edged out Liverpool 1-0 in the first leg of their EFL Cup semi-final.
Neither side produced anything to write home about attacking-wise in the first half, where injuries to Rodrigo Bentancur and Jarell Quansah - the former of whom was stretchered off with a worrying head problem - were the main talking points.
Arne Slot's men were looking the more likely to break the deadlock during the 11 minutes of first-half injury time, but Alisson Becker was soon counting his lucky stars in the second 45, as Pedro Porro failed to capitalise on a rare blunder from the Reds' number one.
However, the Brazilian then picked the ball out of the back of the net twice; once for a disallowed Dominic Solanke goal, and once for a clean Bergvall winner, albeit one clouded in controversy after the teenager escaped a possible second yellow card for taking out Kostas Tsimikas.
Liverpool's late efforts for a leveller were futile - they also had an injury-time penalty shout waved away - and Spurs will head to Anfield for the second leg on February 6 with a slender lead to protect.
SPORTS MOLE'S VERDICT
It may not have been the 6-3 spectacular from a few weeks ago, but even a rare low-scoring contest between Spurs and Liverpool lived up to the pre-game hype.
Neither Slot nor Postecoglou were afraid to shuffle the pack for the midweek contest - although suspensions played a part in the latter's decisions - and the first-half action paled into insignificance after the horror injury to Bentancur.
However, Tottenham were showing signs of life in the final third, even if their defence - marshalled by new goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky - also came under the cosh, albeit against a Liverpool side lacking that magic spark in attack.
Slot's side cannot travel home boldly claiming that they deserved to win, but they certainly had a case to be extremely aggrieved at the identity of the goalscorer, as Bergvall surely would have received a yellow for his tackle on Tsimikas were he not already cautioned.
The fact of the matter is that Liverpool have suffered their first away loss under Slot and have failed to win back-to-back games for the first time this season. Coupled with their slightly underwhelming display against Manchester United at the weekend, is fatigue kicking in for the Dutchman's regular starters?
Two individual mentions to end on; one for Kinsky, who deserved his clean sheet on his Tottenham debut, and for Attwell, who had the honour of announcing a VAR decision at a Premier League ground for the first time.
TOTTENHAM VS. LIVERPOOL HIGHLIGHTS
56th min: Pedro Porro miss (Tottenham 0-0 Liverpool)
A golden opportunity for Spurs to take the lead goes begging! Alisson Becker initially escapes a hairy situation with Lucas Bergvall, but the Brazilian then slips under pressure from the midfielder and passes the ball straight to Pedro Porro, whose goal-bound shot is blocked by Virgil van Dijk.
Bergvall picks up the pieces and slips in Porro for a second opportunity, but the right-back shows exactly why he is a right-back, trying to delicately lift the ball into the far side of the net but seeing his shot land wide.
Postecoglou's 'I cannot believe it' reaction tells the story; that was an absolutely huge opening for the hosts.
Dominic Solanke disallowed goal vs. Liverpool (77th min, Tottenham 0-0 Liverpool)
Dominic Solanke has the ball in the back of the net, and the offside flag stays down; in any of the earlier EFL Cup rounds, this goal would have stood.
However, replays show that the ex-Liverpool striker had just gone ever so slightly ahead of Trent Alexander-Arnold, and following verbal confirmation of the VAR decision from Stuart Attwell to the crowd, the score remains 0-0.
Lucas Bergvall goal vs. Liverpool (86th min, Tottenham 1-0 Liverpool)
Controversy alert! Only a moment after he arguably could have been sent off for a second bookable offence, Bergvall surely wins the first leg for the Lilywhites.
Solanke outpaces Ibrahima Konate to a long ball inside the Liverpool box, and the Englishman turns before finding the run of Bergvall, who finds the bottom corner with a crisp first-time strike.
The Liverpool dugout are incandescent, and Attwell shows the yellow card to one member of the Reds' bench as Spurs celebrate.
MAN OF THE MATCH - LUCAS BERGVALL
Debutant Kinsky was a genuine candidate for this accolade - making six stops and commanding his box well all evening long - but Bergvall just edges out his new teammate, no doubt to the chagrin of Reds fans.
The 18-year-old timed his run and finish to complete perfection as part of an all-round midfield masterclass, also creating two big chances, making three key passes and putting in three tackles to give his side a merited first-leg advantage.
TOTTENHAM VS. LIVERPOOL MATCH STATS
Possession: Tottenham 40%-60% Liverpool
Shots: Tottenham 9-14 Liverpool
Shots on target: Tottenham 4-7 Liverpool
Corners: Tottenham 2-2 Liverpool
Fouls: Tottenham 8-10 Liverpool
BEST STATS
WHAT NEXT?
FA Cup third-round matters now take precedence for both sides, who can realistically expect more straightforward knockout clashes this weekend than Wednesday's first leg.
Slot's men are at home to Accrington Stanley on Saturday lunchtime, almost exactly 24 hours before Spurs travel to Tamworth, one of only two non-league sides still left in the competition.
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