Tottenham Hotspur have suffered a worrying injury blow in the first leg of their EFL Cup semi-final with Liverpool, as Rodrigo Bentancur was stretchered off in the first half with a head injury.
The Uruguay international started alongside Yves Bissouma and Lucas Bergvall in the centre of the park for Ange Postecoglou, who was without James Maddison and Pape Sarr due to suspension.
Within the opening five minutes of the first leg, Bentancur went for a diving header from an outswinging corner but landed incredibly awkwardly, appearing to bang his head on the turf.
After Alisson Becker kept out a close-range shot from Radu Dragusin with Bentancur stricken, medics immediately rushed to the midfielder's aid, and play was stopped for over 10 minutes while he received treatment.
Bentancur briefly sat up before lying back down, and the former Juventus man was loaded onto a stretcher before being replaced by Brennan Johnson following a lengthy delay.
Both Spurs and Liverpool fans stood together in applause for Bentancur as he was substituted, and Postecoglou will be expected to provide an update in his post-game press conference.
Sky Sports News issued their own update at half time, revealing that Bentancur was still being looked after by the doctors in the Spurs dressing room, but Tottenham have now released a reassuring statement on their social media channels.
"We can confirm Rodrigo is conscious, talking and will go to hospital for further checks," Tottenham said, as Postecoglou's men got to half time at 0-0 despite the early loss of the South American.
Bentancur was one of two players forced off prematurely in Wednesday's semi-final, as Liverpool centre-back Jarell Quansah also had to be replaced by Wataru Endo on the half-hour mark with an as yet unspecified issue.
The midfielder's start on Wednesday was his 20th appearance of the season, having previously served a seven-game domestic ban for an offensive comment he made about teammate Son Heung-min and South Koreans.
Bentancur has registered nine goals and eight assists in 89 matches for Spurs since joining from Juventus in January 2022.
The winner of this two-legged semi-final will face either Arsenal or Newcastle United - who beat the Gunners 2-0 at the Emirates in Tuesday's first leg - at Wembley on March 16.
Ben Knapton
