Liverpool beat Tottenham 2-1 to book their place in the quarter-finals of the EFL Cup.
Liverpool’s Daniel Sturridge celebrates scoring their second goal
Liverpool booked their place in the quarter-finals of the EFL Cup thanks to a 2-1 win over Tottenham at Anfield.
Jürgen Klopp made 11 changes to the starting XI that beat West Bromwich Albion by the same scoreline in the Premier League on Saturday and his youngsters and squad players did themselves proud against a much changed Spurs side.
Daniel Sturridge made his case to feature on a more regular basis with an impressive display that saw him find the net twice, while Divock Origi also impressed. Simon Mignolet was afforded the opportunity to remind his manager that he feels he has what it takes to be the club’s first choice keeper.
There were first competitive starts for Trent Alexander-Arnold and Ovie Ejaria, while Danny Ings made his first Anfield appearance under Klopp from the bench.
The only real blot on their copybook was the penalty given away by Lucas Leiva that allowed Vincent Janssen to despatch to make the latter stages interesting.
Here’s how they rated:
Simon Mignolet – Looked in control of his area, a couple of smart saves. A pretty good deputy if not the number one – 7
Liverpool’s Simon Mignolet makes a save from Tottenham’s Victor Wanyama
Trent Alexander Arnold – A bit of over-enthusiasm on one challenge but looked to get forward and linked well with others. Some promise – 6
Lucas Leiva – One notable goalbound clearance, endured a battle with Janssen’s elbows in the first half at one stage. A couple of errors in the second half, including the needless foul on Janssen. – 5
Ragnar Klavan – Calm on the ball, even if passing isn’t his strongest point. He didn’t do much wrong – 6
Alberto Moreno – Enthusiastic as ever, including one or two of his unorthodox challenges. Didn’t drop a clanger. Solid performance will do from him for now – 6
Ovie Ejaria – An odd performance, there were flashes of quality but it did look a step up for him in terms the physicality of the game, and his decision making at times – 6
Kevin Stewart – Arguably Liverpool’s best player in the first half, read situations well, one or two moments of hesitation in possession but a pretty good display from a man usually used as a late substitute – 8
Liverpool’s Kevin Stewart in action with Tottenham’s Eric Dier
Georginio Wijnaldum – First half looked lost when the Reds weren’t in possession but improved playing through the right hand channel. Lovely ball for Sturridge’s second which makes it a positive performance overall – 7
Marko Grujic – His role in Sturridge’s opener shouldn’t be overlooked. Used his height to good effect, tackled well, but tires – 7
Divock Origi – Tormented Spurs for over an hour. Pace, power, crosses, shots. Everything but the goal but a great performance from the Belgian before his withdrawal – 8
Daniel Sturridge – Good poacher’s finish for his first goal, wonderful composure for the second. Michel Vorm the main reason he didn’t have more – 9
Subs:
Danny Ings – Put himself about, the crowd was willing him to find the net. Denied by Vorm but a very busy cameo – 7
Liverpool’s Danny Ings
Nathaniel Clyne – Good for Alexander-Arnold to watch him for the final half hour. He was the solid, reliable Clyne during that spell – 6
Emre Can – Came on to see out the game and did just that. Not on long enough to give him a mark, but winning free-kicks and winding down the clock when you’re winning does help – 6
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