Even after Tottenham claimed a creditable win, Ange Postecoglou managed to have a run-in with a reporter during his post-match interview.
It’s advantage Spurs in their Carabao Cup semi-final tie against Liverpool with the north London side claiming a 1-0 win in the first leg at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
GettyLucas Bergvall scored the only goal of the game but could’ve been sent off moments before[/caption]
Lucas Bergvall’s assured finish on 86 minutes was the decisive moment, but Liverpool argue that the young Swede shouldn’t have been on the pitch to score the goal.
The 18-year-old midfielder avoided a second yellow card for a late challenge on Kostas Tsimikas moments before having already been booked for a tackle on Luis Diaz.
But Postecoglou insists Bergvall had every right to be on the pitch, pointing to how Liverpool still retained possession after the collision, meaning his player would be spared from the yellow.
Irritated by Sky Sports reporter Patrick Davidson’s question asking if Bergvall was lucky to stay on the pitch, Postecoglou sarcastically responded: “Yeah, great question! No, he wasn’t!”
Postecoglou added: “People misinterpret my comments from the other day because the rule is, and we’ve been told for quite a while now, that if advantage is played, as long as it’s not a cynical tackle, then a yellow card does not get given.
“Because we’ve been screaming for it for the last two months. It’s happened to us consistently, have a look at our games.
“We’ve asked officials and they’ve said if they play advantage, as long as it’s not a cynical tackle then a yellow card doesn’t get…
“Now, to me, that was pretty clear.”
Postecoglou’s belief that Bergvall had every right to stay on the pitch is unsurprisingly not a view shared by the Liverpool camp.
Reds captain Virgil 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.
“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.”
And even talkSPORT’s Jason Cundy believes Liverpool were hard done by.
Cundy said on The Sports Bar: “It’s a second yellow there’s no doubt about it.
“Attwell waves play on, and that’s a good decision because it was a foul and it is a second yellow and it was right to wave play on.
“But I can’t think of a single occasion when a referee has waved play on and the player who’s on a second yellow card hasn’t got away with it.
“If it’s a first yellow the referee will go back and book them, we see that every weekend.
“It should be consistent and Bergvall is a lucky boy to stay on the pitch.
“It’s a guaranteed yellow card but sometimes you get away with them and have to ride your luck.”
Spurs and Liverpool do battle in the second leg at Anfield on February 6.
The winner of that tie will meet either Arsenal or Newcastle in the final at Wembley on March 16.