That was the sort of finish that ends a debate before it even properly starts. Liverpool were already in control of their Carabao Cup tie with Tottenham at Anfield, but Dominik Szoboszlai’s stoppage-time strike from 25 yards turned a good cup win into a statement: 3-1, round four, job done.
The scoreline tells one story. The timing tells another. Liverpool had already done the useful work through Alexis Mac Allister and Cody Gakpo, while Tottenham’s reply through Conor Gallagher kept the game alive longer than it should have been. But once Szoboszlai wound up from distance in stoppage time, the match got the decisive ending it had been building toward.
Liverpool had enough quality to make the difference
There is a temptation with cup ties like this to get lost in the noise and pretend everything was simple. It was not. Tottenham created chances early and failed to convert several of them, and that matters because it kept Liverpool under a little more pressure than the home side would have wanted. But that is also where good teams separate themselves from merely busy ones. Liverpool had the cleaner edge when it counted.
Mac Allister and Gakpo gave Liverpool the platform, and Szoboszlai supplied the flourish. The final goal was not just decorative either. It was the kind of finish that makes the rest of the competition sit up and take notice, because a 25-yard hit in stoppage time is the sort of moment that crushes any lingering resistance.
Szoboszlai’s finish was the loudest answer on the night
It was described as a worldie, and that feels fair enough. The key detail is not just the distance but the confidence behind it. As was noted, with Szoboszlai you trust him to score before he shoots. That is a valuable trait in any team, and especially in a cup competition where one moment can change the mood of the whole run.
For Liverpool, this was also another reminder that the squad contribution matters. Lewis Koumas, James McConnell, Trey Nyoni and Rio Ngumoha all featured in a win that sent Liverpool into round four. That is exactly the kind of depth clubs want in these competitions: not just one or two headline names doing all the work, but enough involvement across the side to keep the structure intact.
Tottenham were left with the familiar frustration
Tottenham’s problem was not a lack of effort so much as a lack of finish. They had openings early, they had moments where they could have made the night awkward, and they did not take them. That is how cup ties slip away. You give a team like Liverpool breathing room and they will usually find a way to make you pay.
The broader frustration is obvious: a game that might have turned on fine margins ended with Liverpool looking composed and Tottenham looking like a side left to regret what might have been. In a competition where momentum matters, Liverpool advanced with conviction. Tottenham were left with the sort of defeat that feels even bigger because the decisive blow came so late.
And that is the hard truth of it. Liverpool did not merely win. They controlled the important moments, punished the loose ones, and finished with the kind of strike that gives a cup run a little extra swagger. In Carabao Cup scores, that is exactly how you make yourself look serious.
