At the final whistle of an absorbing Carabao Cup tie that grew as a spectacle, a visibly frustrated Virgil van Dijk was spotted deep in conversation with match official, Stuart Attwell, while match-winner Lucas Bergvall lurked in the background.

It's unclear exactly what point the Liverpool captain was forcibly making but it wouldn't be too much of a leap to believe the centre-back was questioning just why Bergvall, within earshot of the protests, was able to stay on the pitch to provide the only goal of the game here.

The two decisive events of the a semi-final that could have swung either way both centred around the Spurs midfielder and came within moments of each other inside the final 10 minutes of normal time. Just 125 seconds, in fact, separated the two incidents that decided this first-leg tie the way of the hosts.

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Already on a yellow card for a foul on substitute Luis Diaz, Bergvall somehow avoided a second caution for a late one on Kostas Tsimikas that Attwell waved play on for to allow the counter-attack to develop. That decision to play the minor advantage was seemingly punishment enough for Bergvall, who avoided a red card. Perhaps there and then it was inevitable that the teenager would have the final say on proceedings?

To compound the miserable sequence for Arne Slot and his players, the goal was scored while Tsimikas was off the pitch, having received treatment for the crude challenge. It was not quite the level of the good-process-boys VAR farce of October 2023, but Liverpool will feel - with ample justification - that they were once more on the wrong end of a howler here at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

The game was paused for 11 minutes early on when Rodrigo Bentancur suffered an issue inside the Liverpool penalty area. The Uruguay international was conscious in the dressing room after being taken off but was sent to hospital for further checks.

A laboured Liverpool struggled to make in-roads behind Spurs' midfield and were second best for much a first half that so often threatened to take off only for the final pass, cross or shot to fall flat for both sides. The Reds struggled without Dominik Szoboszlai's pressing ability and tactical flexibility in the final third.

Szoboszlai often does a lot of Mohamed Salah's defensive running for him to enable the top scorer to stay fresh for the decisive moments and the Hungary captain's return will be a big boost, whenever it comes. Having turned in arguably his best performance in a Liverpool shirt here last month when they won 6-3, Spurs will have breathed a sigh of relief that he was sidelined for this one.

Diogo Jota's belligerent, smash-mouth style was almost enough to fashion a number of chances for Cody Gakpo and Salah in the first period, but there was a lack of conviction in the final third.

Liverpool largely kept Spurs at arms length themselves, with Van Dijk in particular outstanding all evening. After Alisson Becker had been dispossessed by Bergvall in the second half, it was the skipper's goal-saving block to deny Pedro Porro and on a night when defensive issues were furthered by the enforced exit of Jarell Quansah through illness, the Netherlands star was rock solid.

Slot sent on Diaz alongside Darwin Nunez and Trent Alexander-Arnold to inject some life into proceedings and the change worked to an extent. Nunez was denied by debutant goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky after a through ball from a below-par Salah, but despite more intent in the final third the Reds found it difficult to create anything resembling a gilt-edged chance until Nunez's unorthodox flick brought an excellent save out of Kinsky late on.

Having played 11 additional minutes in the first half for Bentancur's injury, a further seven were still unable to see a Liverpool goal, bringing to an end a 24-game unbeaten streak that has stood since that 1-0 loss to Nottingham Forest on September 14.

And while Spurs had every right to celebrate ending the Reds' impressive run, the exuberance of the post-match scenes on and off the pitch betrayed the fact there is a second leg still to be played at Anfield next month.

The question for Slot, though, is more pertinent right now. After the frustration of being held by lowly Manchester United on Sunday afternoon at home, is this setback the signal that a mid-season wobble is upon him?

Saturday at home to League Two Accrington Stanley is unlikely to provide any emphatic answers to those claims but Tuesday night, in that top-of-the-table clash with Forest at the City Ground, is the perfect opportunity to blow away the cobwebs and prove that the last few days have been nothing but minor bumps on the road.