The first half of Carabao Cup semi-final second-leg action between Tottenham and Liverpool has come to an end, and it’s time for our player ratings.
Only time will Tel at Tottenham…
Spurs’ squad has been boosted by the recent additions to the senior team, as the Lilywhites welcomed in two new faces in the closing days of the January window.
Centre-back Kevin Danso, who starts tonight, and wonderkid Mathys Tel arrived in N17 prior to the closure of the January transfer window, and tonight will be Spurs fans’ first chance to see them in action. They arrive at a crucial time in Tottenham’s season, with tonight’s clash viewed as ‘make or break.’
Tottenham signed Mathys Tel on an initial loan, with the opportunity to keep him permanently in the summer. Spurs fans will certainly be excited to see what the 19-year-old can do, and the signing begs the question: will he live up to the hype? Only time will Tel…
Throughout the first half, we analysed each player’s individual performance, rating them on a scale of 1-10. Let’s take a look at our Carabao Cup first-half player ratings from Liverpool vs Tottenham.
Tottenham first-half player ratings vs Liverpool
Antonin Kinsky: Kinsky had plenty to do in the first half, but he made some great saves, most notably tipping a Salah shot onto the bar to keep the score level just before half-time. He had one or two shaky moments when coming to claim the ball, through. 5.
Archie Gray: Gray was preferred to Porro at right-back tonight, but the eighteen-year-old never really got into the game. He made some decent defensive contributions with headers and blocks but left Gakpo free at the back post for the Dutchman’s goal. 4.
Kevin Danso: Spurs’ new no.4 started calmly, enjoying lots of the ball at his feet and making some big blocks and challenges. He looked solid, in all honesty, but didn’t do anything standout. 5.5.
Ben Davies: Davies started the game well, making some important interventions and decent passes before needing treatment for a head injury. Luckily, he continued and saw out the rest of the half. 5.
Djed Spence: Spence had a tough task on his hands dealing with Salah but defended well enough one-on-one when he needed to. He got forward once or twice and carried the ball forward nicely a few times too. 6.
Rodrigo Bentancur: Bentancur was slow to the second ball and often fell victim to Liverpool’s quick passing as the Reds swept the ball about with ease. He struggled to string many passes together or win the ball back, and posed almost no challenge to the Liverpool players. 4.
Yves Bissouma: Bissouma started the game poorly, rigidly, and shakily, and it was his misplaced pass that led to Gakpo’s equaliser. Biss didn’t look like he wanted to be out there in that first half, and his sloppiness on the ball dissipated to the rest of the team too, as Spurs struggled to break out of their half. It’s the sort of poor performance we’re used to seeing every so often from Bissouma. 1.5.
Pape Sarr: Pape tried to make things happen when regaining possession deep in the Spurs half but often ran into trouble. The Senegalese international was supposedly Spurs’ most attacking midfielder in the first half, which probably explains the lack of midfield presence in the attacking third for Tottenham during counters. 4.5.
Dejan Kulusevski: Deki was Spurs’ outlet in the first half, but when he had the ball his only real option was Richarlison, or on rare occasions Gray when he bombed forward. When he had the ball at his feet, his running was futile as the Liverpool defence remained strong. 4.
Richarlison: Richy was greeted in Merseyside by Van Dijk’s elbow to the throat, but the VAR deemed everything legal. Throughout the half, it felt like Spurs no.9 slowed down every counter-attack, and apart from his scuffle with Van Dijk, the Brazilian forward was quiet, and actually came off with an injury just before half-time. 2.
Heung-min Son: Son was non-existent out on the left flank in the first half, struggling to provide the much-needed attacking threat that he typically poses. The South Korean international needs to step up in the second half, big time. 3.
Substitutes:
Mathys Tel: Tel replaced Richarlison just before half-time. N/A.