Ange Postecoglou trusted to nan exuberance and talent of younker to merchandise nan unit connected his position arsenic Tottenham head - and was rewarded pinch 1 of nan astir important wins of his reign.
Postecoglou has been emotion nan strain of mediocre results successful caller weeks, but nan smiles were backmost connected nan players' faces arsenic Spurs secured a 1-0 advantage complete Liverpool successful nan Carabao Cup semi-final first leg.
As good arsenic nan triumph that keeps Postecoglou connected people to support his committedness that he ever wins a trophy successful his 2nd play astatine a club, he was besides capable to show 3 bully news stories that vindicate his transportation strategy - often criticised - of acquiring promising young talents to build a agleam future.
Step guardant 18-year-old Swedish match-winner Lucas Bergvall, 21-year-old debutant keeper Antonin Kinsky - hardly done nan doorway having signed from Slavia Prague successful a £12.5m woody connected Monday - and different teen successful Archie Grey.
Bergvall's decisive publication will beryllium shrouded successful contention because Liverpool, pinch justification, will judge he should not person been connected nan transportation aft referee Stuart Attwell allowed play to proceed aft a chaotic situation connected Kostas Tsimikas that could person brought a 2nd yellowish paper moments earlier his 86th infinitesimal winner.
He will beryllium nan header act, but he must stock that spotlight pinch Kinsky and Gray, who showed singular maturity successful specified precocious unit situations against precocious value opposition.
Postecoglou was without 10 players done wounded and illness, a number that quickly accrued to 11 erstwhile Rodrigo Bentancur was taken disconnected connected a stretcher pursuing 10 minutes of curen aft going down pinch a caput wounded astatine a corner.
Happily, he was later reported to beryllium conscious and talking to supply much bully news for Postecoglou and Spurs.
Bergvall was nan centre of attraction pinch a confident, classy, feisty - Liverpool would propose excessively feisty capacity successful midfield.
This was a landmark infinitesimal for nan young Swede, imaginative and competitory arsenic he made nan astir chances of Spurs' players - 3 from unfastened play, arsenic good arsenic scoring nan winner.
Bergvall vanished emphatically past Alisson pinch 4 minutes left, joining illustrious institution as, astatine 18 years and 341 days, he is nan club's youngest League Cup scorer since Gareth Bale, who was 18 years and 72 days erstwhile he scored against Middlesbrough successful September 2007.
The £8.5m paid to Djurgarden successful February 2024 - earlier loaning him backmost to nan Swedish nine for nan remainder of nan play - already looks a snip. On a capacity for illustration this, conscionable his 4th commencement for nan club, it is easy to spot why Barcelona besides wanted to motion him.
Just arsenic singular was nan communicative of Kinsky, who only comberan his activity licence connected Monday aft arriving from Slavia Prague but was thrown consecutive successful by Postecoglou, who is without injured Guglielmo Vicario and Fraser Forster, choosing nan youngster up of Brandon Austin.
Kinsky showed singular assurance pinch nan shot astatine his feet, completing 1 drawback aft a neat juggle early on, ever consenting to return nan affirmative action - though he escaped successful nan first half erstwhile he slipped arsenic he went to cod Cody Gakpo's regular shot.
And he responded superbly erstwhile put to nan trial arsenic Liverpool yet applied unit precocious on, dashing from his extremity to artifact Darwin Nunez's angled changeable earlier making his champion prevention of nan night, reacting to dive distant to his correct to move distant nan striker's header successful nan closing seconds.
It was a dream introduction, admittedly a bet by Postecoglou but 1 that worked, nan keeper falling into nan arms of sister Andrea for an affectional lengthy clasp astatine nan last whistle arsenic tears were shed, pinch his father, Antonin snr. - a erstwhile Czech bumi keeper - besides watching on.
A small much nether nan radar but conscionable arsenic awesome was different 18-year-old, Archie Gray, who has shown commendable characteristic and courageousness aft being plunged into nan unfamiliar domiciled of cardinal defender arsenic players specified arsenic Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven were absent done injury.
He will flourish successful his recognised position successful midfield arsenic clip goes by, but he is simply a existent talent, arsenic proved by his composure successful 1 infinitesimal successful nan 2nd half, ignoring nan worry of nan crowd to move smoothly retired of defence earlier mounting Spurs distant connected nan attack.
Gray was unruffled by Liverpool's potent charge, a genuine prima of nan future. The £40m paid to Leeds United could beryllium different bargain buy.
Postecoglou was delighted pinch his youngsters, saying: "It is unthinkable erstwhile you deliberation we had a mates of 18-year-olds retired there. I person seen truthful overmuch growth. I person nary uncertainty we will get done this play and get players back. What I've recovered successful nan meantime is that we person immoderate existent players to thief america beryllium nan squad we want to be."
In specified utmost circumstances, pinch truthful galore players missing and a four-match winless streak that included a 6-3 thrashing astatine location to Liverpool, this was nan benignant of consequence and capacity that should supply nan cleanable tonic for Postecoglou and his players.
It was besides different illustration of nan wildly contradictory and inconsistent quality of Spurs, their past six wins coming containing 2 against Manchester City, a 4-1 thrashing of Aston Villa, a 5-0 triumph astatine Southampton, a 4-3 triumph against Manchester City past this, only Liverpool's 2nd nonaccomplishment nether caput coach Arne Slot.
The Spurs lead whitethorn beryllium slender arsenic they spell to Anfied, but nan spread of a period betwixt nan semi-final first and 2nd legs gives Postecoglou to person immoderate of his astir important players backmost fresh for nan trial astatine Anfield, Romero and Van de Ven successful particular.
Spurs and Postecoglou person travel nether nan captious microscope successful caller times - this was a nighttime erstwhile nan head and nan young players he trusts implicitly could bask successful a much flattering spotlight.
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