January 8th 2025.
After Tottenham's impressive 6-3 win over Liverpool in the Premier League just before Christmas, manager Ange Postecoglou had nothing but praise for the young players on his team. In particular, he highlighted the outstanding performance of Djed Spence and his teammates in their recent 1-0 victory over Liverpool in the Carabao Cup.
Despite facing a tough opponent, Tottenham showed maturity and composure on the field, taking a one-goal lead into the second leg at Anfield. It was a tight game, with Liverpool having a goal disallowed for offside before Tottenham's Lucas Bergvall scored the controversial winning goal in the 86th minute, assisted by Dominic Solanke.
The win was even more impressive considering Tottenham's injury-ravaged squad. Midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur was stretchered off early in the match, leaving Postecoglou to commend the efforts of his young players in the face of adversity.
In his post-match press conference, Postecoglou expressed his pride in the young players, saying, "I don't think people truly appreciate the level of performance we're seeing from these youngsters and the contribution they're making to the team. We have an 18-year-old playing out of position at center-back, a debutant goalkeeper, and Djed Spence, who is excelling at left-back."
He also had high praise for the match-winning goal scorer, Lucas Bergvall, describing him as a player who is constantly improving and has the ability to create space for himself on the field. Postecoglou also noted that Bergvall is not afraid to put in the hard work for the team.
In fact, Postecoglou challenged anyone to name another Premier League team consistently starting two 18-year-olds, with one playing out of position. He also expressed his hope that these young players will continue to develop and contribute to the team's success in the future.
The match was not without controversy, as Liverpool players were unhappy with the referee's decision not to show a second yellow card to Bergvall for a tackle on Kostas Tsimikas just before his winning goal. However, Postecoglou stood by the referee's decision, citing previous conversations with officials about the rule regarding advantage and yellow cards.
"The rule is, and we've been told for quite a while now, that if advantage is played and the tackle is not cynical, then the yellow card is not shown," Postecoglou explained to Sky Sports. "We've been asking for this rule to be enforced for the past two months, and it has consistently happened to us. The officials have confirmed this to us, so to me, it was a clear decision."
In the end, Postecoglou was proud of his team's performance and grateful to have such talented young players on his squad. He hopes to continue benefiting from their abilities in the years to come, but also acknowledged that other teams may also have their eye on these rising stars.
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