The opening to this year’s campaign has not been the best for Andoni Iraola and Liverpool, but the Reds got a much-needed win against Tottenham to advance to the Fourth Round of the EFL Cup. With goals from Mac Allister, Gakpo, and Szoboszlai, Liverpool took care of business in a highly competitive match against Robert De Zerbi’s Tottenham side.
Mac Allister breaks the deadlock
Liverpool had the first breakthrough of the match, taking the lead in the 21st minute through a wonderful finish from Alexis Mac Allister. The Argentine midfielder, who has contract extension questions looming, found the ball in space before gracefully steering the shot into the top right corner for his second goal of the season.
Despite the goal, the match stayed even with both sides unable to find the back of the net throughout the rest of the first half.
Gakpo doubles the lead, and Gallagher brings Spurs right back in
Liverpool extended their advantage just after the hour mark, with Mac Allister picking out Gakpo inside the left side of the box, who shifted his marker, cut inside, and finished into the far corner. The Reds doubled their lead, but Tottenham continued to put pressure as they looked to get back into the match.
With just about 20 minutes to go, Mateus Fernandes delivered a great ball to the back post, where Conor Gallagher was left completely unmarked to head home and cut the deficit in half. Despite momentum continuing to move in Spurs’ favor, Tottenham were unable to capitalize.
Szoboszlai’s stoppage-time winner seals the win
Any hopes of a Tottenham comeback were demolished in stoppage time by a stunning effort from Dominik Szoboszlai. The Liverpool midfielder chested down a loose ball in acres of space before unleashing a thunderous 35-yard volley into the top corner past Dubravka.
With a 3-1 cup win and a battle against Chelsea in the next round, Liverpool will hope to continue their great momentum from today when they host the Blues at the end of October.
