Nobody was interested in talking to Son Heung-min, so he joked to the group of waiting reporters that Lucas Bergvall was on his way.
Bergvall did emerge a few seconds later, in a grey hoodie covering his face and with the man-of-the-match award clutched firmly in his left hand, but he headed straight for the exit.
The star, or villain depending upon your perspective, of Tottenham Hotspur’s 1-0 victory over Liverpool last night in the first leg of a Carabao Cup semi-final wanted to avoid answering any awkward questions.
Bergvall performed a similar disappearing act in the 85th minute of the match, after a rash challenge on Kostas Tsimikas. The 18-year-old midfielder, already booked for a tackle on Luis Diaz, had a sheepish look on his face as referee Stuart Attwell played advantage and he waited to see if he would be sent off.
The Swede escaped further punishment, to the fury of Liverpool’s captain Virgil van Dijk, and 60 seconds later produced the biggest moment of his career. If Spurs survive the second leg on February 6 to reach the March 16 final at Wembley against either Arsenal or Newcastle, his goal will be the defining moment of this tie.
It has taken a while for Bergvall to adjust to the physicality of English football since joining from Swedish side Djurgarden in the summer in a deal worth around €10million (£8.3m/$10.3m at current exchange rates). He made some early cameo appearances in the Premier League and Europa League but struggled in October’s 3-2 away defeat by Galatasaray in the latter competition. Since he made his first Premier League start against Southampton last month, however, he seems to grow in stature each week.
The teenager’s first Tottenham goal could not have been timed better.
Ange Postecoglou’s squad have been bruised and battered over the past few weeks by illness, an injury crisis and the harsh realities of spinning plates in multiple competitions. Bergvall’s right-footed shot will have given them a huge confidence boost.
🌟 Another teenage star making his mark in the #CarabaoCup!#EFL | @SpursOfficial pic.twitter.com/GrdmXK0zEX
— Carabao Cup (@Carabao_Cup) January 8, 2025
With his blonde curls bouncing around his face, Bergvall darted to the corner flag and slid in front of the supporters before being mobbed by his team-mates. When the full-time whistle blew, Van Dijk continued his protests to the officials in front of Bergvall, who did not care. He received hugs from Micky van de Ven, Destiny Udogie, Richarlison and members of the coaching staff as he walked down the tunnel.
His goal provided Tottenham with a tonic to, temporarily, cure their blues.
Since beating Manchester City 4-0 away on November 23, Spurs had won only two out of 11 games in all competitions. Earning a victory over Arne Slot’s league leaders, who had not lost since September 14, is a far more impressive achievement than defeating Manchester United and Southampton, the sides they faced in those two victories.
“Lucas was brilliant,” Postecoglou said. “He is just growing all the time. He’s got that ability as a footballer to create space for himself. He’s got the quality, but he works awfully hard for the team as well. We’ve been dealing with some adversity for sure, but we’ve had some growth in that. That’s been masked by poor results and poor form for sure. I’ve got no doubt that when we get our players back, the foundations are really strong, with a group of players we can really grow with.
“Name me another Premier League team that’s got two 18-year-olds (Bergvall and Archie Gray) and one playing out of position consistently. I’m so happy they’re at our football club and, you know, in two or three years’ time, I just pray I’m the beneficiary of their talent, because if somebody else is getting it, I won’t be happy.”
“He (Bergvall) has matured and learned a lot since he joined us, which is great,” striker Dominic Solanke told reporters after the game. “We want young, hungry players like that here. He has put in some very good performances. He has still got a lot to work on and improve, but I’m sure he will be a great player for us.”
Spurs impressed in adversity after worrying Bentancur head injury – Postecoglou
The only competition Bergvall had for man of the match came from Tottenham’s debutant goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky.
Three weeks ago, when Liverpool ripped Spurs apart to win 6-3 here in the Premier League, Kinsky was a Slavia Prague enjoying the Czech Republic top flight’s winter break. He was relaxing in a sauna on Friday when he was told to jump on a flight to London because Spurs wanted to sign him for €16m.
The 21-year-old had only two training sessions with his new team-mates before he was thrown into the starting XI last night.
It would have been understandable if he looked nervous but he oozed confidence. Kinsky sprayed passes across the pitch with ease and chipped the ball over Mohamed Salah into Djed Spence’s path on multiple occasions. He stayed high off his line and did not panic under pressure. When Diogo Jota tried to intercept a headed back pass, Kinsky kicked the ball over Liverpool’s forward then plucked it out of the air. He also made an exceptional close-range save to prevent Darwin Nunez giving Liverpool the lead in the second half.
Without getting too carried away after one game, the Czech Republic Under-21 international is a significant upgrade on both Fraser Forster and Brandon Austin. There is also an argument to be made that, on this evidence, his distribution is better than first-choice goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario’s. To play with such authority on your debut and on an occasion of this magnitude takes guts. At full time, he jumped into the stands to embrace his sister.
“I got the sense when I spoke to him before we signed him that he had a bit about him in terms of assuredness that probably belied his years,” Postecoglou said. “I threw him a mammoth task today to play against the best team arguably in the world at the moment, in a big game, a semi-final. He just handled it awfully well.
“Credit to (technical director) Johan (Lange) and his team, they were really big on him as a footballer who’s going to fit our style and worked really hard to make it happen now. And you can see why. He’s an outstanding footballer.”
This was a huge result for Postecoglou.
Tottenham have lost half of their 20 league games so far in his second season as their coach to sit 12th and their chances of qualifying for any European competition, let alone the Champions League, via the Premier League seem slim right now, yet their hopes of winning a trophy remain alive.
On a night when Spurs were missing so many key players through injury or suspension, their young stars injected new life into Postecoglou’s project.
(Top photo: Sebastian Frej/MB Media/Getty Images)
