On a wet night at Anfield, Liverpool moved into the League Cup last 16 with a 3-1 win over Tottenham, a tie shaped by rotation at both clubs but settled by three of the home side’s established names. Alexis Mac Allister, Cody Gakpo and Dominic Szoboszlai supplied the goals for Andoni Iraola’s side, while Roberto De Zerbi’s Tottenham briefly found hope after the interval.
Rotation under the Anfield rain
Iraola made sweeping changes from Saturday’s goalless league draw with Álvaro Arbeloa’s Fulham at the same ground. Ronald Araujo, on loan from Barcelona, was the sole survivor from that starting side, although he shifted from right-back into central defence.
Liverpool’s line-up also gave opportunities to Treymaurice Nyoni, James McConnell, Lewis Koumas and Rio Ngumoha. The youthful selection initially struggled to find rhythm, and Tottenham could have struck inside the opening quarter-hour when Lucas Bergvall found space close to goal. Giorgi Mamardashvili produced a vital save.
- Martin Dubravka then denied Koumas after Ngumoha had created an opening in the 17th minute.
- Mac Allister put Liverpool ahead four minutes later, driving a loose ball high into the corner.
- The Argentine’s finish followed his spectacular Champions League goal against Atlético the previous Wednesday, a timely response in a season in which his place has not been guaranteed.
Tottenham miss their first-half openings
Liverpool had deserved their advantage, but Tottenham regained a foothold before the break. De Zerbi’s visitors, who had taken only two points from their opening four Premier League fixtures, created two strong chances to level the tie. Mohammed Kudus sent one of them wide despite being well placed.
The second Liverpool goal arrived nine minutes after half-time. Mac Allister fed Gakpo in the penalty area and the Dutch forward dispatched a crisp diagonal finish beyond Dubravka to make it 2-0.
A former Red returns as Spurs rally
De Zerbi turned to his bench, bringing on former Liverpool defender Andy Robertson, who received a loud welcome from the Anfield crowd. Matheus Fernandes also entered the match, and his corner in the 69th minute was headed in from close range by an unmarked Conor Gallagher.
It was Tottenham’s first goal since their 5-1 League Cup victory over Charlton on 26 August in the previous round. They remain without a Premier League goal this season.
- Szoboszlai, introduced around the hour mark, had earlier failed to beat Dubravka when Liverpool sought to restore their two-goal cushion.
- Mamardashvili made another excellent intervention to keep out a dangerous Omar Marmoush effort.
- Savinho also let a promising Tottenham chance pass.
Szoboszlai closes the contest
The visitors’ late pressure kept the contest alive until stoppage time, when Szoboszlai delivered the defining moment. The Hungarian controlled the ball on his chest far outside the area and unleashed an unstoppable long-range strike to send Liverpool through.
For Iraola, the evening showed that a much-changed team could be carried by senior quality when required. Tottenham, meanwhile, left Merseyside with another defeat despite a second-half revival and a first goal in nearly a month.
