Liverpool knocked Tottenham out of the Carabao Cup, Szoboszlai sealed the win with a spectacular goal
Liverpool defeated Tottenham Hotspur 3:1 at Anfield on 15 September 2026 and secured a place in the fourth round of the Carabao Cup. The hosts claimed victory through goals from Alexis Mac Allister in the 21st minute, Cody Gakpo in the 54th and Dominik Szoboszlai in the first minute of stoppage time, while Conor Gallagher scored the visitors' only goal in the 69th minute. The result suggests a relatively comfortable evening for Andoni Iraola's side, but the course of the match was considerably more open: Tottenham had more shots, created several very good chances and seriously threatened an equaliser late on. Liverpool, however, were more efficient at the crucial moments, while goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili denied the visitors several times while the result was still in the balance. Szoboszlai put the final seal on the victory with a powerful long-range strike, one of the most memorable moments of the evening at Anfield.
The victory kept Liverpool in contention for the trophy in a competition the club has won a record ten times. According to figures published by Liverpool ahead of the match, the hosts also came into the game with a highly convincing record against Tottenham at Anfield, where they had lost only one of the previous 30 meetings between the sides in all competitions. This time, the result carried additional significance because of the large number of changes to the starting line-up. Liverpool changed ten players compared with their previous league match, while Tottenham coach Roberto De Zerbi made eight changes. Despite the rotations, the match retained a high tempo, and both teams had the opportunity to test the depth of their squads during a congested period of fixtures.
Tottenham threatened first, Mamardashvili kept Liverpool safe
Tottenham started the match better and could have taken the lead as early as the 11th minute. According to the London club's official report, Gallagher switched play to the left towards Destiny Udogie, whose low cross reached Lucas Bergvall. The Swedish midfielder found himself in a very promising position, but Mamardashvili stopped his close-range attempt with his leg. That save proved important because Liverpool punished the visitors' missed opportunity ten minutes later. Before that, the home side had also threatened through Lewis Koumas, who was played through by Rio Ngumoha and found himself one-on-one with Martin Dubravka, but Tottenham's debutant goalkeeper came out in time and blocked the shot.
Liverpool took the lead in the 21st minute. Udogie attempted to stop Ngumoha's run, but after his challenge the ball bounced to the edge of the penalty area, where Mac Allister arrived from deep and struck powerfully with his right foot into the upper part of the net. It was a goal that changed the rhythm of the match: Liverpool gained more confidence in possession, while Tottenham had to take greater risks when moving forward. The visitors nevertheless continued creating chances, with a particularly good one arriving in the 32nd minute, again following a move involving Udogie. His ball found Mohammed Kudus, but the Ghana international volleyed over the goal from a promising position.
Mac Allister's goal continued his good form at Anfield in the early stage of the season. Liverpool had beaten Atletico Madrid 2:1 in the Champions League a few days earlier, and the Argentine midfielder had also scored in that match with a powerful strike from outside the penalty area. Against Tottenham, he again demonstrated how dangerous he can be when joining the attack from deep. Iraola's side, however, did not dominate possession in the traditional sense. Sky Sports statistics showed that Tottenham had 56.4 percent of the ball, 17 shots at goal and six shots on target, while Liverpool had 12 attempts and five on target. The difference was in finishing and in Liverpool making better use of the moments when the visitors' structure opened up.
Gakpo doubled the advantage after the break
Tottenham needed a strong start to the second half to get back into the game, but nine minutes after the restart Liverpool made it 2:0. The move developed through several quick passes, and Gakpo received enough space on the left side of the penalty area to shift the ball onto his right foot and drive a powerful shot past Dubravka. Tottenham's official report named Ngumoha, Mac Allister and Miloš Kerkez as participants in the build-up before Gakpo's finish. The Dutch forward thus underlined his importance to Liverpool in the League Cup; before the match, the club stated that with nine goals he was the highest scorer in the current squad in the competition. His goal against Tottenham was another example of the direct and rapid transition with which Liverpool tried to exploit the space between the visitors' lines.
De Zerbi soon responded with substitutions. Andy Robertson and Mateus Fernandes came on for Udogie and Rodrigo Bentancur, and former Liverpool defender Robertson received a warm welcome from the Anfield crowd. Tottenham threatened seriously again in the 61st minute: Omar Marmoush did good work before passing to Kudus, whose first-time shot was saved by Mamardashvili. The visitors continued to press and finally reduced the deficit in the 69th minute. After Gallagher's shot the ball went behind for a corner, Fernandes delivered the set piece, and Gallagher headed the ball into the net at the far post to make it 2:1.
It was also an important moment in Tottenham's wider context. Sky Sports stated that Gallagher's goal ended the London side's scoring drought against top-flight opposition. The goal gave the visitors energy and changed the atmosphere of the final twenty minutes or so, because Liverpool suddenly had to defend a one-goal advantage instead of controlling the match with a two-goal cushion. De Zerbi further refreshed the attack by introducing Savinho and James Maddison, followed by Dominic Solanke. Tottenham tried to commit more players to the final third, while Liverpool responded by bringing on Ryan Gravenberch, Szoboszlai, Bradley Barcola and, in the closing stages, Alexander Isak.
Mamardashvili denied Marmoush, Szoboszlai decided the match
The most important save of the second half came in the 86th minute. Marmoush managed to get a shot away that changed direction after contact with a Liverpool defender, but Mamardashvili reacted superbly to turn the ball away and prevent an equaliser. Sky Sports described the intervention as a crucial save at a moment when Tottenham were putting the hosts under serious pressure. Shortly afterwards Savinho also had space to shoot but failed to hit the target, while at the other end Isak saw his attempt blocked immediately after coming on. The match therefore entered stoppage time without the winner being completely certain, although Liverpool still held a narrow advantage.
Then came the moment that completely closed out the match. In the first minute of stoppage time, Szoboszlai controlled the ball with his chest outside the penalty area and unleashed a powerful long-range strike that flew into the top corner of Dubravka's goal. Tottenham's official report states that the shot was taken from approximately 30 yards, or around 27 metres. Sky Sports described the goal as spectacular, while Iraola highlighted its quality after the match, stressing that with Szoboszlai there is a genuine possibility of scoring even from that distance. The Hungarian midfielder thus made the final score 3:1 and transformed a finish in which Tottenham had been close to equalising into a more convincing result for the hosts.
Szoboszlai's goal also illustrated the difference in finishing between the two teams. Tottenham had more shots and kept the ball for longer, but Liverpool converted their best situations into three exceptionally high-quality goals. Mac Allister punished a loose ball with an accurate strike from the edge of the penalty area, Gakpo completed a quick combination with a powerful shot from inside the box, and Szoboszlai scored from a position from which goals are rarely produced. In a cup match where there is no second leg in which to correct mistakes, that level of finishing proved decisive.
Iraola got a response from his rotated team
For Liverpool, it was additionally important that the victory was achieved with an almost completely changed line-up. According to Tottenham's official match sheet, Liverpool started with Mamardashvili; Jeremie Frimpong, Ronald Araujo, Joe Gomez, Kerkez; Trey Nyoni, Mac Allister; Ngumoha, James McConnell, Gakpo; Koumas. Of the players who had started the previous league match against Fulham, only Araujo remained in the starting eleven. Iraola was therefore able both to rest a number of regular first-team players and to give competitive minutes to younger players and members of the wider rotation.
Koumas was particularly impressive. Sky Sports named him player of the match, while Iraola highlighted after the game the energy the young forward displays in training and the way his intensity affects the rest of the team. Koumas did not score, but his movement and pressure on Tottenham's back line were important to Liverpool's approach without the ball. Nyoni, McConnell and Ngumoha also received valuable minutes, something significant for Liverpool in a season in which the club is competing on several fronts. In such a schedule, squad depth often becomes just as important as the quality of the ideal starting line-up.
Iraola also praised after the match the way the first and second goals were created, not only the final shots. His emphasis was on the origins of the moves, the pressing and the way Liverpool reached shooting positions. That fits the picture of a match in which the hosts did not have more of the ball but managed at several crucial moments to move quickly from regaining possession into a dangerous attack. Particularly in the first half, Liverpool tried to press Tottenham's build-up aggressively, making it more difficult for the visitors to play calmly out from the back.
Tottenham eliminated, but De Zerbi sees progress
For Tottenham, the defeat meant the end of this season's Carabao Cup campaign. De Zerbi expressed disappointment with the result after the match, but at the same time stressed that his team had created enough chances for the game to have gone in a different direction. At the press conference he said Tottenham must finish good attacking situations more frequently and more effectively and improve their defensive reactions for the goals they concede. He specifically mentioned that Liverpool's first two goals were not defended well, although he assessed the team's overall performance as a sign that the process of building a new style of play is moving in the desired direction.
Tottenham played at Anfield with eight changes from the league draw with Everton. Dubravka made his debut in goal, Tosin Adarabioyo made his first start, and Kudus was in the starting line-up for the first time since 4 January. According to De Zerbi, Kudus' return to more substantial minutes is one of the positives Tottenham can take from the match. The coach also pointed out that James Maddison still needs to reach full physical fitness for the intensity of matches in England. Tottenham's current problem remains converting periods of good play into goals and results, which once again proved decisive at Anfield.
Statistically, the visitors had enough elements to feel they could have remained in the competition. According to Sky Sports, they had 17 shots compared with Liverpool's 12, six shots on target to five and nine corners to five. Nevertheless, Liverpool's three goals and several important saves from Mamardashvili decided the contest. After the match, De Zerbi spoke about the need for the team to find a moment that would bring additional confidence, while stressing that he believes in the quality of the squad. Tottenham's next challenge is a return to league duties, while their cup campaign in this competition ended as early as the third round.
Liverpool await the fourth-round draw
Liverpool's victory secured their place among the participants in the fourth round of the Carabao Cup. According to information published by the club before the match, the draw for the next stage is scheduled for 16 September 2026, after the conclusion of the match between Manchester United and Brighton & Hove Albion. Fourth-round matches are due to be played in the week beginning 26 October. For Liverpool, continuing in the competition represents an opportunity to challenge once again for a trophy they have won more times than any other English club.
The victory over Tottenham also provided several encouraging signs for Iraola. The team responded after a goalless league draw with Fulham, the rotated line-up maintained its intensity, and players from the second string made use of the opportunity for more minutes. At the same time, the match also showed areas in which Liverpool must remain cautious: Tottenham created enough chances for the outcome to remain uncertain for a long time, and Mamardashvili had to intervene several times in situations that could have changed the result. In a knockout competition, however, progression is the most important thing, and Liverpool secured it through a combination of efficiency, individual quality and timely saves.
At Anfield, therefore, three very different finishes were remembered at the end: Mac Allister's precision, Gakpo's power and Szoboszlai's long-range strike. Between those goals, Tottenham showed enough attacking threat to prevent the match from becoming one-sided, but they failed to make use of their best spell. Gallagher's goal brought the visitors back into the game, Marmoush came very close to equalising, but Liverpool survived the pressure and then ended the evening with a spectacular moment. The 3:1 result therefore took Liverpool into the fourth round, while Tottenham return from Liverpool after another match in which their performance was not converted into a result.
Sources:
- Tottenham Hotspur – official match report, chronology, line-ups and match data (link)
- Tottenham Hotspur – Roberto De Zerbi's post-match press conference and his assessment of the team's performance (link)
- Sky Sports – report, key moments, statistics and statements from Andoni Iraola after the match (link)
- Liverpool FC – official statistics and historical context ahead of the match against Tottenham (link)
- Liverpool FC – information about the timing of the fourth-round draw and the schedule for the next stage (link)