Thursday’s briefing: Spurs claim controversial win as West Ham look to new era | OneFootball

Tottenham beat Liverpool 1-0 at home in the first leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final thanks to a late goal from Lucas Bergvall – who was possibly fortunate to be on the pitch at the time.

West Ham sacked head coach Julen Lopetegui, with Graham Potter looking set to be announced as his replacement, and Celtic increased their lead at the top of the William Hill Premiership to 16 points with a 2-0 home win over Dundee United.

Bergvall controversy after Bentancur worry

Swedish 18-year-old Bergvall struck the only goal of the contest, his first as a Spurs player, in the 86th minute at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, moments after avoiding a second booking for a challenge on Kostas Tsimikas.

Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk expressed his frustration at that decision afterwards, telling Sky Sports: “He (referee Stuart Attwell) made a mistake in my opinion and I told him that. It was a big moment in the game.”

Earlier, there was concern for Tottenham midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur after he was left on the ground having stooped low to head a corner in the seventh minute and received medical attention for nine minutes before leaving the field on a stretcher.

Boss Ange Postecoglu said in his post-match Sky interview that “my understanding is he is conscious”, adding: “We took him to hospital just to get checked over. Worrying and always a concern but from what I know at this stage he’ll hopefully be OK.”

Lopetegui exit, Potter expected

Less than eight months on from his arrival at West Ham, Lopetegui was axed with the team lying 14th in the Premier League following heavy back-to-back defeats against Liverpool and Manchester City.

That news came as talks with former Brighton and Chelsea boss Potter about succeeding the Spaniard were understood to have reached an advanced stage.

West Ham are next in action with an FA Cup third-round tie at Aston Villa on Friday before home league matches with Fulham and Crystal Palace.

Mourinho set for Premier League return?

Potter’s imminent move to the London Stadium has seen him removed from the betting market on Everton’s next permanent manager if Sean Dyche pays the price for his side’s poor form.

But an interesting new favourite in that market has emerged in the shape of former Chelsea, Manchester United and Tottenham boss Jose Mourinho.

Mourinho, who is currently in charge of Fenerbahce, is rated odds-on to make the move to Merseyside if Everton owners The Friedkin Group decide to dump Dyche.

However, one fly in the ointment may be the fact that TFG owner Dan Friedkin has already sacked Mourinho once in his role as owner and president of Roma.

Celtic surge further ahead

Daizen Maeda and Reo Hatate got the goals for Celtic as they eased to victory over Dundee United to boost their advantage at the top.

Maeda netted on the rebound midway through a first half dominated by Brendan Rodgers’ champions before Hatate killed off the game in the 83rd minute.

Their lead stands at 16 points ahead of second-placed Rangers playing Dundee away on Thursday.

Deschamps to depart

France head coach Didier Deschamps said he will step down from the role when his contract expires after the 2026 World Cup.

The 56-year-old former midfielder’s tenure, which started in 2012, included him overseeing World Cup glory in Russia in 2018, becoming only the third man to win the tournament as both player and manager.

There have also been runs to two other major finals, with Les Bleus finishing runners-up to Portugal on home soil at Euro 2016 and losing the 2022 World Cup final to Argentina in Qatar.

Deschamps told French TV channel TF1 “it will stop there because it has to stop at some point”, adding: “We never want it to end when it’s a beautiful thing, but we also have to know how to say stop, there is a life after.”

What’s on today?

The FA Cup third round gets under way with three ties as Everton host Peterborough, Fulham entertain Watford and Sheffield United play Cardiff at Bramall Lane.

Everton’s tie could see former England international Ashley Young come up against his son Tyler, an 18-year-old midfielder who is on the books at Peterborough.

Rangers’ match at Dundee will see them look to bounce back from being held 3-3 at Hibernian last time out.