Liverpool knocked Tottenham out of the Carabao Cup with Alexis Mac Allister and Cody Gakpo scoring. This is what we spotted as Andoni Iraola's side booked a fourth round spot.
Alexis Mac Allister and Trey Nyoni during Liverpool vs Tottenham.
Alexis Mac Allister and Trey Nyoni during Liverpool vs Tottenham.(Image: Michael Regan/Getty Images)
ANFIELD, LIVERPOOL // Liverpool confirmed its place in the Carabao Cup fourth round with Dominik Szoboszlai netting a screamer in an important win for Andoni Iraola.
After an even start, it was Alexis Mac Allister who scored first, placing a strike past Martin Dubravka when the ball broke loose on the edge of the penalty area. Tottenham had chances, most notably from Mohammed Kudus, who blazed over from close range after a decent counter.
Not long into the second half, though, Cody Gakpo curled in a second Reds goal. Conor Gallagher pulled one back, only for Szoboszlai's spectacular effort to put the tie beyond doubt. Here are the five things Liverpool.com spotted as the game unfolded.
Trey Nyoni impresses again
Nineteen-year-old Trey Nyoni is a hugely gifted player, and he made a massive impression on Iraola this summer. As expected, he showed plenty of poise again here, too.
There are only very few fringe players who have a realistic chance of breaking into the team properly over the next few months, but Nyoni is one of them. He showcased exactly why that is here, passing and putting his foot in where he needed to.
A little ahead of him, James McConnell is another to have impressed his manager in the last few months. It would be fair to say that Nyoni, though, is some way closer to getting a go in the Premier League and the Champions League. The ex-Leicester man looked like a senior player here, while McConnell — two years older — looked like a youngster.
Trey Nyoni in action for Liverpool against Tottenham in the Carabao Cup.
Trey Nyoni in action for Liverpool against Tottenham in the Carabao Cup.(Image: Jan Kruger/Getty Images)
Cody Gakpo and Alexis Mac Allister stand out
"We have a number of players who deserve more minutes than I have been able to give them up to this point so that will come into my thinking, particularly as we also have players who have already given a lot," Iraola had said beforehand.
He was true to his word, of course, making changes to the starting XI. But given that Spurs did the same, the lack of chemistry and possibly match sharpness for a few didn't prove costly.
Liverpool stars like Lewis Koumas looked keen to make an impression. Nyoni and McConnell, as mentioned, did their part. Aside from the former, it was the true seniors — Mac Allister and Gakpo — who stood out the most.
Gakpo could have been lining up for Tottenham here had Roberto De Zerbi got his way in the summer. Instead, he looked a cut above most for Liverpool, with Mac Allister helping steer the team in the right direction alongside him.
Lewis Koumas gives his all
Without Alexander Isak, who simply needed a rest with so many matches having been played and many more still to come, Liverpool needed another option at number nine.
Up stepped Koumas, who did his best and then some. Running his socks off, the young Welshman showed all the endeavor that you would expect.
The 20-year-old, though Iraola has made it very clear a few times that he is a player that he rates, is still best suited to getting little cameos here and there for now.
This, though, was certainly something to build on. With a bit more fortune, he could have come away with a goal. This was very promising.
Andy Robertson returns
There were three moments that saw Anfield cheer like there had been a goal on the night. Two of those were actually the strikes from Mac Allister and Gakpo; the other was the introduction of Andy Robertson in the second half.
Robertson was jokingly booed by one fan in the Main Stand, but the reception for a Liverpool legend was the expected (and deserved one).
Having seen his spot taken by Milos Kerkez, it made sense for Robertson to move on in search of game time. Here, the Hungary international showed a glimpse of why he was bought: he was very strong in the tackle and dogged in his defensive work.
There is a lot more to come from him — there has to be, if he is to answer all of the questions that Liverpool fans have — but this was a big step in the right direction, an insane attempt at a tackle that saw him pick up a booking aside.
Liverpool into the fourth round
Liverpool is not going to win the Premier League. Winning the Champions League, even when a side is at its peak, is incredibly difficult. But Iraola could really do with collecting some silverware as soon as possible to get that tag off his back.
That makes this competition — and the FA Cup — important for the Spaniard this term. The same can be said of Spurs, of course, with De Zerbi's men not in any European competition.
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But it is Liverpool whose name will be in the draw for the next round tomorrow. Following the game between Manchester United and Brighton, the Reds will find out who they will face at the end of October.
It's another game, but one that Iraola should be glad of. If Liverpool can win a trophy at the first time of asking under its new head coach, that would be huge. There is, though, a lot more work to do before that is realized.