Liverpool wanted a yellow card, but the one they got wasn’t what they were looking for.
The Reds lost the first leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final 1-0 away against Tottenham Hotspur, which was just their second defeat under new head coach Arne Slot.
SkyBut may have been lucky to stay on the pitch[/caption]
However, the goal that won it, a terrific strike from Lucas Bergvall in the 86th minute left Slot’s bench fuming.
The Swedish 18-year-old had a busy match and in the 68th minute was booked for a foul on Luis Diaz.
Just 18 minutes later he was back at it as he caught Kostas Tsimikas, leaving the Greek left-back rolling on the floor in pain right in front of both managers.
Referee Stuart Attwell wasn’t interested in a second yellow and a sending off, and that decision proved crucial moments later.
Dominic Solanke, who’d just had a goal ruled out for offside, was back in the box, and set up the crucial Bergvall winner.
Slot and his team were fuming, and so angry was assistant Sipke Hulshoff that he received the yellow card he thought Bergvall deserved.
The Dutch coaches continued to plead their case to no avail, and at full-time they were joined by another countryman.
Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk was just as annoyed as he confronted the officials after full time, but he’ll have to wait until the second leg at Anfield on February 6 to redress the balance.
Explaining his anger post-match, Van Dijk said: “I think it was quite obvious that it was going to be a second yellow.
“It was pretty clear and of course a minute later he scores the winner. It is what it is, the referee made a mistake and he thinks he didn’t.
SkySlot was annoyed but assistant Hulshoff went a little too far[/caption]
SkyVan Dijk added to the dissent at full-time[/caption]
“Everyone on the sideline knows that it should’ve been a yellow… the fact is he should’ve been off.
“There’s a linesman there, a fourth official there, there’s VAR, and he doesn’t get a second yellow.
“It’s not the reason we lost but that was a big moment in the game.”
It wasn’t the only big moment of the game for Attwell, who became the first referee to be mic’d up in a stadium for a professional game in English football.
In a trial brought in for the Carabao Cup, the 42-year-old used his headset to explain why Solanke’s earlier effort had been ruled out.
“After review, Dominic Solanke was in an offside position in the build up to the goal, therefore the decision is offside,” he said in a first.
Liverpool also experienced a first, with the defeat being their only one away from home under Slot.
The Dutchman lost just a single game in 2024 with Liverpool and Feyenoord, against Nottingham Forest at Anfield on September 14.
Forest are their next opponents in the Premier League on January 11, and Ange Postecoglou and Spurs will be hoping for a big dent in confidence ahead of their rematch and shot at a first trophy since 2008.