Anfield had already got the win it wanted when Dominik Szoboszlai decided to make the night memorable. Liverpool were 2-1 up, Tottenham were pushing bodies forward, and the Hungarian picked the ball up roughly 30 yards from goal with nobody rushing to close him down. One swing of his right foot later, Martin Dubravka was picking it out of the net and Liverpool were through to the fourth round of the Carabao Cup with a 3-1 win.
Andoni Iraola made ten changes and still got a performance. That, more than the scoreline, is what will please him most.
How Liverpool built the lead
Spurs should have been ahead inside 11 minutes. Lucas Bergvall got in behind, took the shot early from close range, and watched Giorgi Mamardashvili spread himself and block it with his legs. Ten minutes later Alexis Mac Allister curled the opener high past Dubravka and the tone of the evening changed.
Mohammed Kudus had a chance to level before the break after clever work from Destiny Udogie, but skewed his volley high and wide. Liverpool did not waste theirs. Nine minutes into the second half Cody Gakpo finished off a slick move in front of the Kop, hammering the ball home for 2-0. Gakpo, worth noting, was a Tottenham target in the summer window. He now has more Premier League goals this season than the entire Spurs squad.
Spurs finally score, then run into Mamardashvili
Roberto De Zerbi's side did get something out of the night. Conor Gallagher nodded in from close range on 69 minutes, ending a run in which Tottenham had failed to score against a top-flight opponent all season. For about 15 minutes after that, the tie was genuinely open.
Omar Marmoush thought he had the equaliser on 86 minutes. Mamardashvili got a fingertip to it. It was the save of the match by some distance, and it kept Liverpool's lead intact long enough for Szoboszlai to do what he did in stoppage time.
"Three goals we scored were very good goals," Iraola said afterwards. "The third one is a worldie. With other players you are thinking it is too far. With Dom you are thinking he might score."
What both managers took away
Iraola singled out Lewis Koumas, who was named man of the match. "I see it in training every day. The energy that he shows is contagious for the rest," he said. Trey Nyoni also came out of the night with credit for a composed shift in midfield. Intensity had been a problem against Fulham at the weekend; it was not one here.
De Zerbi was more philosophical than angry. "We created chances to win the game. It's not a very good moment, but I believe in my players," he said. "We need a click. I don't know if we are able to make this click Saturday, but playing like this and believing in ourselves and our style of play, I think we'll win many games." Tottenham host Aston Villa on Saturday lunchtime. Liverpool travel to Bournemouth on Sunday.
Match facts: Liverpool 3-1 Tottenham Hotspur, Carabao Cup third round, Anfield, Tuesday 15 September 2026. Scorers: Mac Allister 21, Gakpo 54, Szoboszlai 90+1; Gallagher 69. Key saves: Mamardashvili (Bergvall 11, Marmoush 86). Liverpool made ten changes. Next: Bournemouth v Liverpool, Sunday 14:00; Tottenham v Aston Villa, Saturday 12:30.
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