Tottenham will take a slender lead into the second leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final tie against Liverpool after registering an impressive 1-0 win on Wednesday evening. Following last Saturday's frustrating defeat at home to Newcastle United, Ange Postecoglou made four changes to his Spurs team as Rodrigo Bentancur, Yves Bissouma, Son Heung-min and new signing Antonin Kinsky all came into the side.

Radu Dragusin was inches away from making it the perfect start for Spurs as his close-range effort was kept out by Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson. Dragusin's chance came seconds after Bentancur had attempted to head Pedro Porro's corner towards goal, with the midfielder sustaining a worrying injury when doing so and duly having to make way following a long stoppage.

Both sides went on to exchange chances as Dominic Solanke went close before Mohamed Salah fired wide for the visitors. The best chance of the game fell to Porro not long after half-time but he could only lift the ball wide of the target when in such an inviting position in the box.

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Dragusin was then to the rescue for the hosts on 70 minutes with a brilliant clearance on his own line to stop substitute Trent Alexander-Arnold from finding the net with a low drive. Spurs were to score not long after through's Solanke well-taken finish, only for VAR to intervene and rule the goal out for offside.

Spurs were to get the goal their performance deserved on the cusp of full-time as Lucas Bergvall opened the scoring after linking up with Solanke in the box. Here are five things we spotted in the game at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium:

Kinsky's impressive debut

Kinsky proved to be very popular with Tottenham fans ahead of his debut for the north London club. Only signing from Slavia Prague on Sunday morning, the goalkeeper was thrown straight into the team to face Liverpool as the unfortunate Brandon Austin missed out on a starting spot despite such a good showing against Newcastle.

As is always the case before a home game at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, the home players did a lap of the pitch a couple of hours before kick-off. On making his way out of the dressing room with the squad, Kinsky stopped to sign autographs for the Spurs supporters waiting by the tunnel looking to meet the new arrival.

The Czech ace duly spent a bit of time signing shirts and the vast majority of the players had in fact completed walking alongside the north stand by the time he made his way onto the pitch. Kinsky did eventually catch up with his new teammates on the halfway line before they finished their walk together and headed back inside.

Very much a goalkeeper who is excellent with his feet and someone who oozes confidence, that was clear to see on the goalkeeper's debut. Not having much to do in the first half in terms of saves, Kinsky showed how good he is on the ball on a couple of occasions.

One of the first examples was when Dragusin left a nasty bouncing ball run through to Kinsky and the new signing calmly lifted it over Diogo Jota's head on the edge of the box before collecting it in his hands. Moments after collecting Cody Gakpo's long-range effort at the second time of asking after initially spilling it, he then produced a sublime long ball over the top that saw Son Heung-min and Solanke link up.

Postecoglou was very impressed with what he saw from the youngster and applauded him for his piece of play, with the boss doing likewise in the closing minutes with another long kick from the goalkeeper that unfortunately didn't reach its intended target. The pass may not have come off but Postecoglou was clearly happy that his man was being proactive and trying something as Spurs looked for a winner.

Kinsky was on hand to thwart Darwin Nunez on a couple of occasions in the second half as he marked his Tottenham debut with a top performance and a clean sheet.

Attacking boost

Following a real lack of choice in recent weeks, it was as if Postecoglou had an embarrassment of riches when it came to the attacking options on his bench on Wednesday evening. The head coach had five attacking players to choose from on the bench following a welcome return and the addition of a new signing.

The Liverpool game saw the return of Mikey Moore two months on from his last appearance in the matchday squad due to illness. The youngster's comeback was certainly a most welcome one as Spurs have really missed having the teenager as an option on the bench and in the starting XI because of the qualities he possesses.

Yang Min-hyeok was also named in the Tottenham squad for the very first time after officially completing his move from Gangwon FC at the beginning of January. The South Korean was not selected for Saturday's defeat against Newcastle but Postecoglou believed the time was right to select him following his time on the training pitch with his new teammates.

Yang's inclusion also resulted in the announcement of his Tottenham shirt number. Unable to take on the No.47 jersey he wore for Gangwon as that is in Moore's possession, the attacker has inherited the No.18 shirt that was vacated by Giovani Lo Celso in the summer.

The duo weren't to feature in the cup tie but an opportunity could come their way on Sunday against Tamworth in the FA Cup.

More Bentancur woe

On his return to the team from suspension, Bentancur would only be on the pitch for a total of six minutes. The midfielder was forced off on a stretcher following a rather worrying injury when attempting to head Porro's corner towards goal.

As he stooped down low to head the ball, it appeared that the Uruguayan hit his head against the ground and that resulted in him lying face down while play continued in the box. Porro was alert to what had happened and immediately sprinted over to his teammate before a number of other players also did likewise.

Receiving treatment on the ground for almost ten minutes, Bentancur was put on the stretcher and immediately went down the tunnel as Brennan Johnson came on his place. A statement from Tottenham at half-time read: "We can confirm Rodrigo is conscious, talking and will go to hospital for further checks."

Such a stop-start season for him to date due to a couple of suspensions and also a head injury sustained at Leicester City on the opening day, all will be hoping that the ex-Juventus man can make a swift recovery.

Bergvall's growing role

Bergvall is really starting to show all why he was brought to Tottenham from his homeland of Sweden. Starting in the No.6 role last weekend against Newcastle and delivering a standout display, Spurs supporters made their feelings known when he was substituted midway inside the second half.

Starting slightly further forward against Liverpool with Bissouma coming into the team, the Swede carried on from where he left off last time out and continued to have a big influence in the middle of the park. Bergvall's performances are growing with each passing game and he could be some player for Postecoglou in 2025 and also in the years ahead.

The teenager was heavily involved at the start of the second half as he pressurised Alisson into a chance for Porro. Almost catching the goalkeeper out when he produced a Cruyff turn in his box, Bergvall then raced towards the shot-stopper again and managed the prod the ball into the path of his teammate.

Porro's initial effort was blocked before he chipped the ball wide of the target when it looked easier to score. Postecoglou was left to rue the miss and cameras picked up on the Australian dropping to his knees in his technical area as he had his head in his hands.

Bergvall was to have an even bigger say on the contest later as he proved crucial to Tottenham registering a 1-0 win against their opponents.

Liverpool anger

After that Solanke VAR blow, the striker was to be heavily involved again after teeing Bergvall up for the opening goal in the 86th minute. The Sweden international's finish was superb and it was the perfect way to score his first Tottenham goal as he sparked jubilant scenes inside the stadium.

Liverpool were fuming over Bergvall's goal as he was incredibly lucky to still be on the pitch after a late tackle on Kostas Tsimikas seconds earlier. Already on a booking, although one that was incredibly harsh as he didn't appear to touch Luis Diaz, the midfielder caught the left-back late and the visitors believed he should have been given his marching orders.

When he opened the scoring minutes later, at a time when Tsimikas was still on the sideline waiting to come on after the knock he picked up, a booking was brandished in Arne Slot's direction after the Liverpool bench made their feelings perfectly clear over the goal. Bergvall was a very lucky boy but Spurs won't care one bit after giving them a crucial first-leg lead.

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