De Zerbi's Rotated Spurs Dumped Out of Carabao Cup as Szoboszlai Stunner Seals 3-1 Loss
Liverpool extended Tottenham Hotspur‘s 18-year domestic trophy drought with a 3-1 victory in the Carabao Cup third round at Anfield on September 15, 2026, eliminating Roberto De Zerbi’s side despite making 10 changes to their own starting lineup. The structural fluidness of Andoni Iraola’s heavily reshuffled side exposed Spurs’ early-season lack of tactical cohesion, as goals from Alexis Mac Allister, former Tottenham transfer target Cody Gakpo, and a late long-range strike from Dominik Szoboszlai earned the host’s passage to the next round.
Mac Allister and Gakpo Punish De Zerbi’s Conservative XI
Iraola opted for heavy squad rotation following a weekend draw against Fulham, handing starts to academy players Lewis Koumas and James McConnell alongside experienced midfielder Alexis Mac Allister. Liverpool took control of the central zones early, establishing fluid positional rotations that stretched Tottenham’s mid-block. Mac Allister opened the scoring by finding the top corner from the edge of the penalty area, capitalizing on space left unattended by Tottenham’s defensive pivot.
Alexis Mac Allister
playerTottenham briefly responded through Conor Gallagher, who ended the team’s recent goal drought by heading in a corner delivered by Mateus Fernandes. Despite the equalizer, De Zerbi’s decision to bench several expensive summer arrivals limited Tottenham’s ability to maintain high-intensity pressing sequences, leaving large structural gaps between their midfield and defensive line.
Liverpool reclaimed the lead through Cody Gakpo, who received a pass from Mac Allister before cutting inside and driving a precise right-footed finish across debutant goalkeeper Martin Dubravka. Gakpo, who opted to stay at Anfield after summer transfer interest from Tottenham, repeatedly exploited the channel behind Spurs’ advancing full-backs.
Cody Gakpo
playerSubstitute Dominik Szoboszlai sealed the match in stoppage time, collecting a half-cleared ball and unleashing a half-volley into the net from long range. The late conversion capped a performance where Liverpool’s pressing metrics and transition speed consistently outmatched Tottenham’s rotated lineup.
“We are sorry for the result, disappointed and frustrated.”
De Zerbi’s post-match comments reflected the pressure surrounding Tottenham’s exit, which leaves the club focused entirely on remaining domestic league and European fixtures to break their long-standing trophy drought.