Lucas Bergvall scored the first goal as Tottenham beat holders Liverpool 1-0 in the first leg of their League Cup semi-final on Wednesday.

The 18-year-old Swede fired a brilliant shot past Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson in the 86th minute to secure victory for the injured home side, moments after Dominic Solanke's goal had been disallowed.

Liverpool beat Chelsea to win the League Cup for a record 10th time last season. However, the defeat ended a 24-match unbeaten run in all competitions and the performance was far from their best.

However, they had every right to complain as Bergvall was booked and should have been sent off for a second yellow card before scoring the winner.

"He should have been off, it was a big moment," Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk said.

Despite suffering their second defeat of the season, Arne Slot's men remain confident of turning things around in the return leg at Anfield next month.

Tottenham have won just three of their last 14 games, with Ange Postecoglou's side hit hard by injuries, and midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur was stretchered off early in the game after a worrying fall - a bad omen for the hosts, who handed a debut to new goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky.

Postecoglou claimed at the start of the season that he would always win a trophy in his second season at the club, but recent results have put pressure on the Australian.

Although there is still work to be done, the fans chanted his name at the end of the game as they moved one step closer to their first trophy since the 2008 League Cup.

Tottenham had the better chances in the first half, with Radu Dragusin's shot saved by Alisson and Solanke firing wide from Son Heung-min's cross in stoppage time.

Mohamed Salah, who has been in scintillating form this season, was uncharacteristically quiet in this game, firing a couple of shots wide, while Cody Gakpo's shot almost slipped under Kinsky, but the scoreline remained the same.

Alisson's error on the stroke of half-time almost gave Spurs the lead. He was intercepted by Bergwall, who played the ball back to Pedro Porro, whose first shot was blocked by Virgil van Dijk and his second went wide, leaving Postecoglou so frustrated that he fell to his knees in the technical area.

Liverpool almost took the lead when substitute Trent Alexander-Arnold's shot was blocked by Dragusin. Spurs, too, made the most of their chance when Solanke went close, only to be ruled out for offside by the VAR.

However, the home side eventually got the result they wanted. Bergwall sent the home fans into raptures with a stunning strike. Both teams now return to action in the FA Cup, with Spurs at Tamworth and Liverpool at Accrington.