Alexis Mac Allister has spoken of how he tries to push Liverpool’s youngsters and believes “they know what the club means.”
Liverpool’s Argentine put in a great performance and scored his second goal in a week as the Reds beat Tottenham 3-1 in the Carabao Cup.
He was helped in midfield by youngsters Trey Nyoni and James McConnell, while Lewis Koumas pressed tirelessly up front.
Following strong showings by all three, Mac Allister was “really happy” for Liverpool’s youthful contingent and admitted that he sometimes gets “angry” as he tries to push them in training.
"I focus quite a lot on them, sometimes I get angry but it's part of me wanting them to succeed" ?
"They deserve this, they know what the club means"
Alexis Mac Allister was full of praise for Liverpool's youngsters after their 3-1 win over Spurs ?#ITVFootball pic.twitter.com/RdEHZrv4Qy
— ITV Football (@itvfootball) September 15, 2026
“I think it was really important for the young players,” Mac Allister told ITV.
“They show every single day in training that they want to be here. They work really, really hard. They have quality and I’m really happy for them because they deserve this.
“In training, I focus quite a lot on them and sometimes I get angry, but I think it’s part of me wanting them to succeed.
“As I said, they are really good, they have quality, they are intense and they know what the club means.
“So it’s important, they are going to be really, really important for us during this season.”
Andoni Iraola says Lewis Koumas “does it in training every day”
While Koumas didn’t get on the scoresheet, the relentlessness with which the 20-year-old put Tottenham under pressure set the tone for the rest of the team.
Andoni Iraola recognised this trait very early on in pre-season and was pleased to be able to give Koumas his first start of the campaign.
The coach commented: “I said it during the week and I say it for a reason, he does it in training every day. He is very clear what he needs to do, what the team needs.
“Also, the energy he shows is contagious for the rest, when you see the ones up front giving everything you are kind of forced to go, go behind and use the same intensity levels.”
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - Tuesday, September 15, 2026: Liverpool's Lewis Koumas during the Football League Cup 3rd Round match between Liverpool FC and Tottenham Hotspur FC at Anfield. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - Tuesday, September 15, 2026: Liverpool's Lewis Koumas during the Football League Cup 3rd Round match between Liverpool FC and Tottenham Hotspur FC at Anfield. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
Koumas wasn’t the only academy graduate to impress in the cup, with Nyoni and McConnell passing sharply in midfield alongside Mac Allister.
Iraola added: “I was happy for them. In different positions, different demands, but I think the best thing is probably that they were [tired] when I subbed them.
“Trey (Nyoni) was cramping, Rio (Ngumoha) couldn’t have run a lot more, McConnell the same.
“When this happens, it’s because you’ve given us what you’ve got. They have especially been very, very energetic, with the willingness of winning the duels, making them feel their presence.”
Football – Football League Cup – 3rd Round – Liverpool FC v Tottenham Hotspur FC
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - Tuesday, September 15, 2026: Liverpool's Cody Gakpo (R) celebrates with team-mates Milos Kerkez (L) and Alexis Mac Allister after scoring the second goal during the Football League Cup 3rd Round match between Liverpool FC and Tottenham Hotspur FC at Anfield. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
Football – Football League Cup – 3rd Round – Liverpool FC v Tottenham Hotspur FC
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - Tuesday, September 15, 2026: Liverpool's Trey Nyoni during the Football League Cup 3rd Round match between Liverpool FC and Tottenham Hotspur FC at Anfield. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
Liverpool v Tottenham – Carabao Cup – Third Round – Anfield
Liverpool's Cody Gakpo (right) celebrates with team-mates after scoring their side's second goal during the Carabao Cup third round match at Anfield, Liverpool. Picture date: Tuesday September 15, 2026.