Virgil van Dijk unhappy after Lucas Bergvall’s controversial winner for Tottenham as a 2nd yellow card was missing

January 9, 2025

In a dramatic turn of events during the Carabao Cup semi-final first leg, Tottenham Hotspur secured a narrow 1-0 victory over Liverpool, thanks to a last-minute goal from Lucas Bergvall. However, the goal was marred by controversy as Bergvall avoided a second yellow card for a late challenge on Liverpool’s Kostas Tsimikas.

Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk was visibly unhappy with the referee’s decision, expressing his frustration in a post-match interview. “I think it was quite obvious that it was going to be a second yellow,” van Dijk told Sky Sports. “A minute later he scores the winner, but listen, it is what it is. He made a mistake in my opinion, and I told him that.”

The incident occurred in the 86th minute when Bergvall, who was already booked earlier in the match, lunged in late on Tsimikas. The challenge led to a stoppage in play and Tsimikas being temporarily substituted off, leaving Liverpool down to 10 players. Despite the clear foul, referee Stuart Atwell did not issue a second yellow card, allowing Bergvall to stay on the pitch and score the decisive goal.

Liverpool manager Arne Slot echoed van Dijk’s sentiments, stating, “The decision he made had a lot of impact on the result tonight. Conceding that goal, and even the player scoring it, that maybe should have had his second yellow card, is not only for us, not ideal.”

The controversy has sparked a debate about the role of VAR and the consistency of refereeing decisions in football. While Tottenham celebrated their hard-fought win, Liverpool and their fans were left to ponder what might have been if Bergvall had been sent off.

As the teams prepare for the second leg at Anfield, the focus will undoubtedly be on whether such contentious decisions can be avoided in the future. For now, van Dijk and his teammates can only hope for a fairer outcome in the return match.