Tottenham crashed out of the Carabao Cup as they were beaten 3-1 by a youthful Liverpool side at Anfield.
Spurs had enjoyed the better of the chances, but the hosts took the lead when Alexis Mac Allister curled home superbly from the top of the 18-yard box.
The home side then doubled their lead in the 54th minute as Cody Gakpo bent a right-footed shot into the far corner.
The visitors got a goal back when Conor Gallagher headed in from close range from Mateus Fernandes’ set piece, but Dominik Szoboszlai settled the tie with a thunderous half-volley as the Merseysiders coasted into round four.
Sam Tabuteau rated the Spurs players on another frustrating evening…
Martin Dubravka 5: Made a good save from Lewis Koumas, and there was nothing he could do about the goals. Did not help himself at times, though, when playing out from the back.
Archie Gray 5: Knew exactly what Gakpo was going to do yet could not stop him from doubling Liverpool’s lead. Got forward well, but looked vulnerable defensively.
Tosin Adarabioyo 5: The more solid of the two central defenders, yet still should have been punished for a slack pass into the path of Szoboszlai.
Marcos Senesi 4: Combined some neat passes through the lines with some shaky moments when receiving the ball out from the back. A jittery performance from the Argentine, who showed his lack of match sharpness.
Destiny Udogie 7: An important outlet down the left. He set up Spurs’ two best chances, first cutting the ball back for Lucas Bergvall before crossing to the near post for Mohammed Kudus to fire over. On a night where Spurs’ defence creaked, the Italian remained a reliable and physical presence.
Rodrigo Bentancur 5: Could not really get up to speed, losing four of six ground duels and was replaced by Mateus Fernandes before the hour mark.
Lucas Bergvall 6: Had to score when found free in the area by Udogie. Overall commanded himself well, though, and provided some nice driving runs as Spurs enjoyed the better of the play in the first-half.
Conor Gallagher 7: Got Spurs back into the game with the simplest of finishes from a corner. Constantly looked to play forward in possession. A much improved attacking display from the Englishman.
Mohammed Kudus 7: Some bright moments on his return to the starting lineup but lacked that sharpness, as is to be expected after eight months out. Drew a good save from Giorgi Mamardashvili but should have scored when getting on the end of Udogie’s near post cross.
Mathys Tel 4: Back in the team, but the same old issues. Completed just two of his five attempted dribbles and constantly ran into trouble.
Omar Marmoush 5: Plenty of running and carved out a good chance for Kudus after weaving his way past a couple of challenges to the edge of the area. As ever, though, he found chances of his own hard to come by until a late shot was well saved by Mamardashvili.
Subs:
Mateus Fernandes 7: Made an almost immediate impact when his corner was missed by Mamardashvili and headed in by Gallagher. His quality in possession made a real difference.
Andy Robertson 6: A warm welcome on his return to Anfield, but the scoreline certainly helped the home crowd’s sense of goodwill. A useful attacking threat but Spurs could not force an equaliser.
James Maddison 6: Gave Liverpool something to think about, but was not able to provide the finishing touch Spurs needed.
Savio 6: Bundled his way into the area and should have tested Mamardashvili late on. All energy but no end product.
Dominic Solanke N/A: came on to give Spurs a focal point but they could not carve out any chances for him.
Unused subs: Kinsky, Van Hecke, Van de Ven, Davies
