Tottenham Hotspur’s frustrating start to the season has taken another damaging turn, with Roberto De Zerbi’s side crashing out of the Carabao Cup after a 3-1 defeat to Liverpool at Anfield.
Spurs arrived at Anfield hoping to use the cup competition as an opportunity to build momentum, but instead they left Merseyside facing more questions about their form, their finishing and the direction of De Zerbi’s new-look team.
Liverpool took control through Alexis Mac Allister before Cody Gakpo extended the hosts’ advantage. Tottenham eventually found a way back into the contest when Conor Gallagher headed home, giving Spurs hope of producing a dramatic comeback.
However, Liverpool survived Tottenham’s late pressure before Dominik Szoboszlai delivered the decisive blow in second-half stoppage time. The midfielder unleashed a spectacular long-range strike to make it 3-1 and end Tottenham’s hopes of forcing the game into a late twist.
The result means Tottenham have now been eliminated from the Carabao Cup in the third round, while their only victory this season came against Charlton Athletic in the previous round.
More worrying for Spurs is their lack of goals in the Premier League. After four league matches, De Zerbi’s team have failed to find the net, including consecutive 0-0 draws against Nottingham Forest and Everton. For a club that invested heavily during the summer, such a slow start has inevitably increased scrutiny.
Tottenham spent big after finishing 17th in the Premier League for two consecutive seasons. The club’s ambitious summer rebuild included a reported club-record £100 million investment in Sandro Tonali as part of an attempt to completely reshape the midfield.
With expectations high, the lack of attacking output has become one of the biggest concerns surrounding the team. Spurs have shown moments of promise, but their inability to turn opportunities into goals is becoming increasingly difficult to ignore.
De Zerbi admitted after the defeat that Tottenham must improve their shooting and finishing if they are to turn their performances into results.
“We have to shoot more times and we have to shoot better. We have to finish better the clear situations,” the Tottenham boss said.
Despite his frustration, De Zerbi believes the final scoreline did not accurately reflect what happened on the pitch. The Italian felt Tottenham had been unfortunate and insisted that his players must remain mentally strong during what he described as an unlucky period.
“We are disappointed, frustrated for the result. I think it is unfair but we have to accept it and be stronger than this unlucky moment,” he said.
De Zerbi also pointed to Tottenham’s recent matches against Newcastle United, Everton and Nottingham Forest, arguing that his side have not received much luck during the opening weeks of the campaign.
However, the manager also accepted that Tottenham must take responsibility for their own mistakes. He acknowledged that the defending for Liverpool’s first goal was not good enough and admitted that Spurs could have done more to prevent Gakpo from scoring.
“We have to improve a lot of things because the first goal we conceded, we didn’t defend in the right way and the second goal we could be closer with Gakpo,” De Zerbi explained.
For Tottenham, the Carabao Cup disappointment now leaves the Premier League as the immediate priority. With confidence potentially being affected by their poor goalscoring record, De Zerbi will need his players to respond quickly.
- The pressure is unlikely to disappear until Tottenham start turning possession and chances into goals. After another night of frustration, Spurs now face an important period where results will be expected to improve and the expensive summer rebuild will begin to face its biggest test.
