Ten Changes, No Problem: How Liverpool Shrugged Off A Late Tottenham Scare
Andoni Iraola tore up his teamsheet for the visit of Tottenham Hotspur in the Carabao Cup, and by full time it looked like the kind of gamble that could have gone either way had turned out just fine. A 3-1 win at Anfield sends Liverpool into the fourth round, but for us the story of the night was less about the scoreline and more about what it told us regarding the strength Iraola now has to call upon.
Ten changes to the side that started the last Premier League fixture is not a decision any manager takes lightly, especially against a Tottenham team with genuine Premier League quality of its own. There were nervy moments, a spell in the second half when the lead looked fragile, and a goalkeeping save that will be replayed more than once this week. But taken as a whole, this was exactly the sort of evening cup football exists for.
Goals from Alexis Mac Allister and Cody Gakpo either side of half time put Liverpool in complete command, before Conor Gallagher’s header threatened to turn a comfortable evening into a stressful one. Dominik Szoboszlai eventually settled matters with a strike that will live long in the memory of anyone inside Anfield, but it was the collective performance across the ninety minutes that will please Iraola most.
Experience Shows Its Value
It was fitting that Mac Allister was the one to break the deadlock. With a much younger side around him, the responsibility fell to the more established figures to set the tone, and the Argentine did exactly that just past the twenty minute mark, ghosting into space on the edge of the box and finishing with real composure into the far corner.
It continued a productive run in front of goal for a player who found the net against Atletico Madrid only a week earlier. There is a tendency to think of Mac Allister purely as a metronome in midfield, but these are the kind of late runs into the box that have always been part of his game when he is given the freedom to use them. On a night built around giving opportunities to others, his contribution was a reminder that experience still counts for plenty.
He was generous in his praise for the younger players around him afterwards, and it is not hard to see why. Several academy graduates and fringe squad members were thrown into a genuinely competitive fixture and did not look out of place, something that speaks well of the culture Iraola is trying to build behind the scenes.
Gakpo’s Habit Of Delivering
If Mac Allister’s goal was about seizing the moment, Gakpo’s was about consistency. The Dutchman has quietly built one of the most productive starts to a season of anyone in the squad, and his finish shortly after the restart took his tally to two goals and three assists in just five appearances.
There was talk over the summer about Gakpo’s long term future at the club, and performances of this nature go a long way to explaining why persisting with him looks like the right call. Few players in the squad offer the same blend of physical presence and technical polish, and his ability to operate across the front line rather than in one fixed position gives Iraola valuable tactical flexibility. Against a Tottenham side that had shown some early promise, it was Gakpo who turned a narrow advantage into what looked, briefly, like a comfortable one.
A Late Scare Before Szoboszlai’s Moment
Two goals to the good, Liverpool looked to be cruising, and that is precisely when Tottenham found their response. Gallagher rose to head home just before the hour mark, cutting the deficit and giving the visitors renewed belief. For several minutes it felt like the kind of finish that heavily rotated teams can be punished for, with Spurs pushing bodies forward and Liverpool pinned back.
It took an outstanding save from Giorgi Mamardashvili to prevent an equaliser, arguably the pivotal moment of the entire tie. Competition for the goalkeeping jersey at Anfield remains fierce, and nights like this are exactly the opportunity a squad goalkeeper needs to remind everyone what he offers. Had Tottenham drawn level, this would be a very different kind of write up.
Instead, Liverpool were handed the platform to finish the job in style. With the clock ticking down, Szoboszlai collected possession some thirty yards out and simply let fly, the ball flashing past a helpless Dubravka to make sure of the result. It was the sort of strike that needs no embellishment, and it turned a nervy finish into a scoreline that flattered nobody but Liverpool.
The Bigger Picture For Iraola
None of this was flawless. Tottenham had their spells of control, Liverpool briefly lost their grip on a two goal lead, and there will be sterner tests than this as the season progresses. But judged by what this fixture was actually for, the night has to be considered a success.
Iraola got minutes into the legs of players who needed them, gave a proper look at some of the club’s brighter young talents, and still came away with three key contributors, Mac Allister, Gakpo and Szoboszlai, all directly involved in the goals. Mamardashvili’s save added another data point in an increasingly strong case for his involvement whenever selection questions arise in goal.
Cup progress on nights like this rarely gets remembered for long, but the value goes beyond the result itself. A run to the fourth round, a fully rested first choice XI for the weekend, and further evidence that this Liverpool squad has more depth than it is sometimes given credit for. For Iraola, that represents a thoroughly satisfactory night’s work.