'I was amazed': Jamie Redknapp admits he was really surprised by something Liverpool players did last night

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Liverpool were left to rue refereeing decisions as they held a first-leg defeat to Tottenham in the Carabao Cup semi-final on Wednesday.

In truth, the Reds never looked quite at it against Spurs and did not deserve anything from the game.

But after referee Stuart Attwell failed to send Lucas Bergvall off for a second yellow card, the officials took centre-stage in North London.

Virgil van Dijk was furious with Attwell, insisting that he had made a mistake in not giving Bergvall his marching orders.

With the player he’d fouled – Kostas Tsimikas – still off the pitch following his tackle, Bergvall went and grabbed the winner just minutes later.

It was an infuriating moment for Liverpool, but according to former Reds captain Jamie Redknapp, they did not do enough to influence Attwell’s decision.

Jamie Redknapp ‘amazed’ by Lucas Bergvall reaction

Liverpool were not good enough to take a first-leg win back to Anfield on Wednesday, but they were decent value for the draw.

Had Bergvall been given his marching orders at 0-0, it’s likely that the Reds would have either held out or even gone on to snatch an underserved winner.

Arne Slot explained why Bergvall hadn’t been sent off – or at least what he’d been told by the officials – after the game, with the key point being that the advantage had been played.

But speaking on Sky Sports after the game, Redknapp insisted that Liverpool players should have made it harder for Attwell not to send the 18-year-old off.

READ MORE: What Liverpool fans were heard chanting towards Trent Alexander-Arnold against Tottenham

“What saves Bergvall is because they play an advantage,” said the pundit. “I think if it had been an initial foul, he blows up and the players would have got around him and it would have subsequently been a second yellow card.

“But I think because there was such a long passage of play after it, I think that's maybe what has ended up saving him because you think so much has gone on.

“But I was amazed also that Liverpool players didn't make more of a fuss about it,” Redknapp added. “They sort of almost let it go.”

Liverpool players not at fault for Bergvall error

We understand what Redknapp is saying here, if Liverpool had stopped the game and given Attwell a decision to make, it could have made a difference to the outcome.

However, it is also true that Liverpool did have a dangerous looking counter-attack on the go. The referee was initially right to play the advantage.

But such was the cynical nature of Bergvall’s tackle, there’s no way Attwell shouldn’t have come back for the second caution.

Liverpool players were likely expecting that to happen too, and by the time it became clear that it wasn’t, the game was already back underway.

Van Dijk, for instance, did make Attwell’s life difficult after the incident, but by then it was never going to change.