LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 15: Alexis Mac Allister of Liverpool celebrates with teammates after scoring their team's first goal during the Carabao Cup Third Round match between Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur at Anfield on September 15, 2026 in Liverpool, England. (Photo by Liverpool FC/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
Alexis Mac Allister is mobbed by his young Liverpool team-mates after he opens the scoring against Tottenham Hotspur (Image: Liverpool FC/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
View Image
After Saturday’s snoozefest, this was the ideal way for Andoni Iraola and his Liverpool team to blow away the cobwebs.
Into the fourth round of the Carabao Cup, courtesy of an absorbing and entertaining 3-1 win against a strong Tottenham Hotspur side, it was the perfect tonic after the minor stumble against Fulham.
It may make it more difficult to put a defining finger on just how good Liverpool's start to the season has been but victory against Bournemouth on Sunday will make it look like the glass is at least half full as club football presses pause until October on Sunday afternoon.
They say there are two ways to execute a successful League Cup campaign: you either fall at the first hurdle or you win it. As 10-time winners, the Reds would say they only know one route and a strong cup run would greatly aid a team for whom it is tough to say what would represent genuine progress this season besides the obvious amassing of trophies.
Liverpool's opener came from a controlled finish by Alexis Mac Allister after Rio Ngumoha's dazzling footwork was crowded out inside the Spurs area. The Argentina international met the ball with his in-step when it would have been easy to thrash at it, resulting in a high finish past Martin Dubravka.
Much has been made of Iraola's midfield makeup and what is the best combination for the engine room at present. Mac Allister was one of the many whose form toppled off a cliff last season but he has been reinvigorated so far under Iraola on the back of World Cup final heartache.
Alongside the inexperienced duo of James McConnell and Trey Nyoni, Mac Allister seemed to relish the responsibility as the senior pro in the middle of the park. The only surprise when captain Joe Gomez was replaced byJeremy Jacquet was that the armband wasn't passed to Mac Allister.
For all the questions that area of the pitch is throwing up presently, Mac Allister should be considered a regular on this form. The rest can be worked out as the time on the training pitches begins to be reflected in rhythm and momentum on the pitch.
It was a big night in the young careers of McConnell and Nyoni. With Iraola keen to see if he can call upon some of his fringe players more often in what is a light squad, both showed the head coach they are more than capable against Premier League opposition. McConnell in particular is an intriguing prospect now and the fact Wataru Endo didn't get on the pitch at all presents room for debate.
Liverpool's second goal came from the rejuvenated Cody Gakpo, who fired home into the far corner after escaping Archie Gray's attention on the left. It was a textbook strike from the Netherlands international, whose impressive start to the campaign continued here. He, much like Mac Allister, looks like a far better player than the one who limped to the finish back in May.
It seems absurd now, just a couple of weeks on, that Gakpo's future was in such doubt as Manchester City lurked in the background at the end of the transfer window. Even if he was sold for an eye-watering £85m, it would have left Iraola's squad short of such quality at a time when too many forward players are still cutting their teeth at this football club.
Gakpo's excellent few weeks means he now has three assists and two goals across five appearances and he represents the most trustworthy operator for Iraola right now, who made a point of demanding more from his expensively assembled forward line earlier this week. It feels like a corner has been turned now where Gakpo's indifferent form of 25/26 is concerned.
Stand-in goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili didn't cover himself in glory as Tottenham cored their first goal in five attempts against Premier League opposition this term. The Georgia international should have commanded his penalty box much more decisively to stop Conor Gallagher heading home but he made amends with a couple of important interventions as the visitors searched for a late leveller. One save in particular from Omar Marmoush drew gasps.
Substitute Dominik Szoboszla wrapped things up with a special strike that might just sit atop the particularly impressive list he has assembled since joining over three years ago. Dubravka could get nowhere near the wicked, dipping volley in stoppage time.
But if Szoboszlai’s goal was a mere reminder of his gifts, this night was more instructive for the performances of Nyoni, McConnell and Lewis Koumas, whose player-of-the-match performance wouldn’t have gone unnoticed by Iraola, who has championed him almost from day one at the club.
It was Iraola who stepped in to tell the decision makers in the summer of his hope that Koumas wouldn’t be sent on loan and the Wales international will be needed in the coming weeks and months. His languid style meshes well with an ability to play across the frontline and he has surely nudged ahead of the injured Federico Chiesa now.
The beaming smile as he clasped his award in the post-match media area spoke volumes. This was a huge night for him, much as might be for Iraola, who is starting to enjoy himself under the Anfield floodlights.