Postecoglou's trust in youth repaid as Bergvall, Gray shine for Tottenham

LONDON : A pair of 18-year-olds gave Tottenham Hotspur fans reason to believe in a bright future on Wednesday as Lucas Bergvall and Archie Gray shone in a 1-0 victory over Liverpool in the first leg of their League Cup semi-final.

Bergvall's first goal for the club, a sublime 86th minute finish, capped an authoritative performance from the Swedish midfielder while Gray impressed once again as a makeshift central defender.

With his squad decimated by injuries, Postecoglou has had to throw Bergvall, Gray and Djed Spence in at the deep end, while 21-year-old goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky made an impressive debut against Liverpool just days after arriving from Slavia Prague.

While Tottenham's season has been chronically inconsistent there are signs that, given time, they can flourish under the Australian coach.

"Name me another Premier League team that's got two 18-year-olds and one playing out of position consistently," Postecoglou told reporters.

"I'm so happy they're at our football club and you know, in two or three years' time, I just pray to God I'm the beneficiary of their talent, mate, because if somebody else is getting it, I won't be happy."

Fans have been critical of Tottenham's transfer policy, which has an emphasis on recruiting young talent rather than paying huge wages to established superstars.

Bergvall, who was signed from Djurgarden for 8.5 million pounds ($10.5 million) a year ago before being loaned back to the club, was "brilliant" against Liverpool and was only going to get better, Postecoglou said.

"I just don't think people really understand the level of performance that these young guys are giving us at the moment," he added.

"We had a goalkeeper on debut. Djed's playing left back, unbelievably well. Lucas is