Liverpool secured a 3-1 victory over Tottenham Hotspur in the Carabao Cup at Anfield on 15 September 2026, advancing in the competition under manager Andoni Iraola. Goals from Alexis Mac Allister, Cody Gakpo and Dominik Szoboszlai proved decisive across the 90 minutes, with Conor Gallagher’s reply for the visitors never quite developing into a full fightback.
Minute
Scorer
Team
21′
Alexis Mac Allister
Liverpool
54′
Cody Gakpo
Liverpool
69′
Conor Gallagher
Tottenham Hotspur
90′
Dominik Szoboszlai
Liverpool
The shape of the evening was defined by three separate Liverpool goals arriving from three different players, a pattern that speaks to the attacking balance Iraola has built into this squad. Mac Allister’s early opener gave the hosts control before the interval, Gakpo’s second-half strike extended that advantage, and although Gallagher’s response gave Tottenham a route back into the contest, Szoboszlai’s finish in the 90th minute settled the outcome beyond doubt.
For supporters who wanted the finer detail on individual moments from the game, several of the standout contributions were broken down afterwards in our [pundit reaction to Liverpool vs Tottenham](https://readliverpoolfc.com/news/magic-feet-pundit-blown-away-by-what-liverpool-player-did-vs-tottenham/), with outside observers weighing in on what shaped the result.
The win sends Liverpool through to the next round of the Carabao Cup and offers Iraola further evidence that his squad can be relied upon to see out a competitive cup tie against Premier League opposition, even when the visitors threaten a response in the closing stages. Cup fixtures of this kind also give squad players the chance to press their case for regular selection, and the identity of the three goalscorers on the night, spread across midfield and attack, underlined the depth Iraola has at his disposal as the season develops.
Results of this nature carry weight beyond the scoreline itself. A cup night at Anfield against a fellow Premier League side always draws scrutiny of squad rotation, momentum and the general health of a group of players managing a congested fixture list. On each of those counts, Liverpool’s performance offered encouraging signs, with the manner of victory, built on contributions from three separate matchwinners, suggesting a squad capable of absorbing setbacks and still finding a route to the desired result. Tottenham, by contrast, leave Merseyside with their own cup ambitions ended for another season, their evening summed up by a spirited late rally that arrived too late to change the outcome.
Anfield settled into its familiar midweek cup atmosphere as Liverpool and Tottenham traded early possession in a cautious opening quarter of an hour. Neither side found an immediate rhythm, with much of the early play unfolding through midfield as both managers assessed how their teams would approach a fixture that often produces rotated line-ups and shifting patterns of play.
That changed in the 21st minute. Alexis Mac Allister provided the breakthrough, giving Liverpool the lead and sending an early roar around Anfield. The goal arrived at a point in the half when the hosts were beginning to assert themselves more consistently, and it gave Iraola’s side the platform to dictate the remainder of the period on their own terms.
The response from Liverpool’s forward line in the aftermath of the goal reflected demands Iraola has made publicly in recent weeks, a subject explored in more detail in [Andoni Iraola Demands More Pressing From Liverpool Forwards](https://readliverpoolfc.com/news/iraola-demands-more-pressing-from-liverpool-forwards/). The manager’s insistence on intensity from his attacking players has been a consistent theme of his time at the club, and Mac Allister’s goal offered an early example of that approach translating into a decisive contribution inside a competitive cup fixture.
Taking an early lead in cup competition often allows a manager greater freedom to manage tempo and personnel as a match progresses, and that dynamic was evident throughout the remainder of the first half as Liverpool controlled proceedings without needing to overextend going forward. Tottenham searched for a way back into the contest before the interval but could not find the finish that would have levelled the tie.
As the half wore on, Liverpool’s control of possession allowed the hosts to dictate the areas of the pitch in which the game was being played, forcing Tottenham to defend for longer spells than the visitors would have wanted heading into a midweek fixture. That territorial advantage did not always translate into further clear-cut chances before the interval, but it kept Tottenham penned back and limited the visitors’ own opportunities to threaten an Anfield defence that remained largely untroubled for the remainder of the half.
Liverpool held their advantage through to half-time, taking a 1-0 lead into the dressing room and giving Iraola’s side control of the tie heading into the second period. The manner in which the hosts navigated the closing stages of the half, protecting their lead without conceding clear openings, underlined the discipline that has increasingly characterised performances at Anfield this season, and set up a second period in which Liverpool could look to extend their advantage rather than simply protect it.
Liverpool emerged for the second half intent on building on their advantage, and they did exactly that within nine minutes of the restart. Cody Gakpo doubled the lead in the 54th minute, a goal that immediately shifted the tie further in the hosts’ favour and forced Tottenham into a more expansive approach as they searched for a way back into contention.
The second goal changed the complexion of the match. With a two-goal cushion to work with, Liverpool were able to dictate the tempo of the contest, while Tottenham had little option but to commit further numbers forward. That shift eventually yielded a result for the visitors. In the 69th minute, Conor Gallagher found the net to reduce the deficit to 2-1, giving Tottenham renewed belief and injecting fresh urgency into the remaining passages of the game.
Anfield’s mood shifted briefly in the aftermath of Gallagher’s goal, with the prospect of a grandstand finish suddenly back on the table. Rather than retreat into a defensive posture, however, Liverpool continued to look for opportunities to settle the tie conclusively. That patience was rewarded deep into the closing stages of the match, as Tottenham’s momentum from the goal ultimately proved short-lived against a Liverpool side that refused to sit back.
The period between Gallagher’s goal and Szoboszlai’s eventual response tested Liverpool’s composure more than any other passage of the match. With Tottenham committing bodies forward in search of a second, Iraola’s side needed to strike the right balance between defensive solidity and the ambition to see out the game on the front foot rather than retreating deep and inviting further pressure. That the hosts managed to do so, and ultimately extended their lead rather than merely holding on, reflected well on the composure shown across the pitch during the final quarter of the contest.
Dominik Szoboszlai struck in the 90th minute, restoring the two-goal cushion and effectively ending any lingering hope of a Tottenham comeback. The goal arrived at the point in the match when tension around Anfield was at its most pronounced, and the finish was greeted with a wall of noise from the home end. It also confirmed that Tottenham would not find a second response in normal time, closing out the contest at 3-1 in Liverpool’s favour.
The full-time whistle confirmed a result built on contributions from three different goalscorers, each arriving at a distinct phase of the match. Mac Allister’s opener set the tone, Gakpo’s second-half strike restored daylight between the sides after Tottenham’s brief spell of pressure, and Szoboszlai’s late finish ensured Iraola’s side saw out the closing stages without further alarm, sending Liverpool through to the next round of the Carabao Cup.
Liverpool’s three goalscorers each left a clear mark on a performance that showed the value of contributions from across the pitch. With three different players getting on the scoresheet, Iraola’s side demonstrated the attacking depth that has become a feature of this squad, converting key moments into a comfortable-looking scoreline by the final whistle.
**Alexis Mac Allister — 8/10:** Opened the scoring in the 21st minute with a composed finish that set the tone for the remainder of the evening. His early goal settled any nerves inside Anfield and gave Liverpool the platform to control the tie from that point onward.
**Cody Gakpo — 8/10:** Doubled Liverpool’s advantage in the 54th minute, a crucial second-half intervention that arrived within nine minutes of the restart. His finish forced Tottenham into a more urgent approach and effectively shaped the tempo of the remaining exchanges.
**Dominik Szoboszlai — 8.5/10:** Sealed the victory with a 90th-minute goal that ended any realistic hope of a Tottenham comeback. Arriving at the most pressurised stage of the contest, his composure in front of goal proved decisive in closing out the win for Liverpool.
Collectively, the three contributions reflected the balance Iraola has cultivated across his attacking options this season, with goals arriving from midfield and forward positions at the moments Liverpool needed them most. It was a performance that rewarded patience and timing over the course of the 90 minutes rather than any single passage of dominance, and one that will give the manager further confidence in the depth of matchwinning options available to him as the fixture list intensifies.
Beyond the individual contributions of the three scorers, the wider platform Liverpool established across the evening was central to the result. Controlling the tempo for long stretches, absorbing Tottenham’s spell of pressure after Gallagher’s goal, and finding a third goal precisely when it was needed all pointed to a squad functioning with clarity of purpose under Iraola, even in a competition regularly used to rotate and refresh a matchday squad.
Tottenham’s evening at Anfield ended in defeat, though Conor Gallagher’s goal offered a spell of hope for the visitors during a testing night away from home. The result leaves Spurs facing an early cup exit, but Gallagher’s contribution stood out on a night when few visiting players were able to make a lasting impact on the scoreline.
**Conor Gallagher — 7/10:** Pulled a goal back for Tottenham in the 69th minute, giving the visitors renewed belief and a route back into the tie at a stage when Liverpool held a two-goal advantage. His intervention forced the hosts to see out the closing stages with care.
Despite Gallagher’s goal, Tottenham were unable to find a second response, conceding again in the 90th minute as Liverpool closed out the win. The visitors depart Anfield with defeat confirmed, though Gallagher’s finish offers a rare individual positive to take from a difficult cup evening on Merseyside, one that came against a Liverpool side unwilling to loosen its grip on the tie once ahead.
For Tottenham, the challenge now is to take the positives from Gallagher’s intervention into their remaining fixtures while reflecting on a night in which Liverpool’s matchwinners repeatedly found answers at the moments that mattered most. The visitors will have taken some encouragement from the fight shown after falling two goals behind, but ultimately found themselves unable to match the depth of attacking contribution that Iraola’s side produced across the full 90 minutes at Anfield.