Pr
 
 
 
 
OPPONENTS Liverpool 
                           
COMPETITION League  Cup
DATE Tuesday 25th October 2016
VENUE Anfield
Liverpool  SQUAD 1. Loris KARIUS
2. Nathaniel CLYNE
3.  Mamadou SAKHO
5.  Georginio WIJNALDUM
6.  Dejan LOVREN
7.  James MILNER
10.  Philippe COUTINHO
11.  Robeerto FIRMINO
12.  Joe GOMEZ
13.  Alex MANNINGER
14.  Jordan HENDERSON
15.  Daniel STURRIDGE
16.  Marko GRUJIC
17.  Ragnar KLAVAN
18.  Alberto MORENO
 
19.  Sadio MANE
20.  Adam LALLANA
21.  Lucas LEIVA
22.  Simon MINGOLET
23.  Emre CAN
25.  Cameron BRANNAGAN
26.  Tiago ILORI
27.  Divock ORIGI
28.  Danny INGS
32.  Joel MATIP
35.  Kevin STEWART
54.  Sheyi OJO
56.  Connor RANDALL
68.  Pedro CHIRIVELLA
PREVIEW Tottenham travel to Anfield with a number of absentees already, with more to come, as Mauricio Pochettino mixes up his squad and gives some of the fringe players a run-out.  Marcus Edwards won't be one of them, after picking up an injury in training, so we are likely to see some of the squad, such as Georges-Kevin N'Koudou, Tom Carroll, Harry Winks, Kevin Wimmer, Cameron Carter-Vickers and Josh Onomah starting.  Others might be on the bench to get some time on the pitch if things are beyond recall or we are so far ahead.

Personally, I think it will be the former, as Liverpool have little to play for this season, with no European involvement, so they can still field a relatively strong side, although they will have to play better than they did at Burton Albion in the previous round.  Until the Championship side tired, they were finding it difficult to get away from them.

Spurs will need to be strong in midfield and with a number of absentees there, it may be that this is the area where we might lose the game.  Vincent Janssen will be given another start to try and further assimilate him into the English game, but beyond that, it will be interesting to see who Pochettino does risk.  Trippier and Davies could comfortably replace Walker and Rose, while Sissoko would have been a definite starter had he not picked up a three game ban from Saturday's match.

With a heavy fixture schedule, including Champions League matches and three London derbies to come soon, this competition might be the one sacrificed to allow the challenge on the other fronts.
 

PREDICTION Liverpool    2        Tottenham Hotspur    1
 
RESULTS HISTORY Click here for results, match reports and facts on meetings with Liverpool
LIVERPOOL TEAM NEWS :
Jordan Henderson is suspended for this match and Jurgen Klopp will change his whole starting line up from Saturday. 
TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR TEAM NEWS :
Toby Alderweireld (knee) and Harry Kane (ankle) are joined on the sidelines for the trip to Anfield tomorrow by Moussa Sissoko (suspended - 1 of 3) and Marcus Edwards (ankle).
COVERAGE :

TV
Sky Sports 1 - (live coverage)

For coverage in all parts of the world, check here and here.

Radio :  
BBC LONDON 94.9FM (London area only), Digital Radio (London area only) &  Sky Channel 0152  (live coverage)
Commentary may be found on
>   BBC Radio Five Live (live coverage)  606/939 MW
TalkSport (DAB or 1089 MW)
Absolute Radio  (1215 AM/MW)

If available on BBC radio, it can supposedly be heard in these countries on these stations ...
Australia (Melbourne)
SEN  -  116 AM  Live Transmissions: TWI, Saturday. 12.45 & 15.00 matches
Australia (Sydney) 
Radio 2  -  1611AM  Live Transmission: TWI, Saturday, 12.45 Match
Singapore
Media Corp Radio  -  93.8 FM  Live Transmission: TWI, Saturday, 15.00 Match
South Africa 
SABC (Radio 2000)  Live Transmission: TWI, Saturday, 15.00 Match
Uganda  Radio 1 (English) 90.0 FM, Radio 2 (Lugandan) 87.9 FM  Live Transmission: TWI, Saturday, 15.00 Match
North America (USA, Canada, Mexico, Caribbean) 
Sirius Satellite Radio  Live transmission: Saturday - 12.45, 15.00 (TWI) & 17.15 (BBC) Sunday - 14.00 & 16.05 (BBC) Mon, Tue, Wed - Various times (BBC)

Internet :
www.spurs.co.uk   Live webcast  - subscribers only
BBC London -
http://www.bbc.co.uk/london/content/articles/2005/10/12/live_commentaries_feature.shtml click on link to "Listen to Tottenham Hotspur live commentary" on top right hand menu.

 
Li
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Liverpool  2 (1)  
                                                                     

League Cup Round 4
Tuesday 25th October 2016
Anfield
Tottenham Hotspur  1 (0)

Kick off 17:45
 
 
Goal-scorers  
Sturridge  8m 20s
Sturridge  63m 37s
Janssen  (p)  75m 21s
 
Cards  
    
Alexander-Arnold  (foul on Davies)  26
Ings  (foul on Wimmer)  82
Grujic (foul on Wanyama)  84 

    

    
Winks  (foul on Ings)  90+1
Wimmer  (foul on Ings)  90+2
 

    
 

 
 
Crowd :   53,051 Weather :  Mild
Referee :  Jon Moss (Leeds) Assistant Referees :  Mr. S. Bennett; Mr. A. Halliday
Fourth Official :  Andre Marriner  
Spurs kicked off and played towards the Kop end in the first half.
Game time : -  90 + 8 minutes.
 
 
 
Liverpool : kit Tottenham Hotspur : kit
22  Simon MINGOLET

66  Trent ALEXANDER-ARNOLD       (  2  Nathaniel CLYNE  68)
21  LUCAS Leivra  (c)
17  Ragnar KLAVAN
18  Alberto MORENO

  5  Georginio WIJNALDUM
35  Kevin STEWART
16  Marko GRUJIC      (23  Emre CAN  89)
53  Ovie EJARIA

27  Divock ORIGI  (28  Danny INGS     )

15  Daniel STURRIDGE   

Unused subs: 
  1  Loris KARIUS
  6  Dejan LOVREN
19  Sadio MANE
20  Adam LALLANA
 

  13  Michel VORM

16  Kieran TRIPPIER
38
  Cameron CARTER-VICKERS
27
  Kevin WIMMER 
   
33  Ben DAVIES

15  Eric DIER  (c)  (12  Victor WANYAMA  67)
29  Harry WINKS     

25  Josh ONOMAH
29  Tom CARROLL  (11  Erik LAMELA  61)
14
  Georges-Kevin N'KOUDOU  (39  Shayon HARRISON  83)

  9  Vincent JANSSEN 

Unused subs: 
30 
Pau LOPEZ
  5  Jan VERTONGHEN
45  Anton WALKES
46  Luke AMOS

 
Manager :  Jurgen Klopp Manager :  Mauricio Pochettino
Sponsor :   Standard Chartered Shirt sponsor :  AIA
Kit Supplier :  New Balance Kit Supplier :   Under Armour
Match report

Two goals from Daniel Sturridge were enough to knock a shadow Spurs team out of the League Cup at Anfield, but there was a spirited come-back, although it did not test the home team enough.

Spurs kicked off and made a quick start winning two early corners. Nothing came from them, so it was Liverpool who had the first shot at goal after Alexander-Arnold made a run into the box and a Spurs tackle took the ball to Kevin Stewart on the edge of the box. The former Spurs youngster's effort rose over the bar giving Vorm no worries in goal. Vorm had little chance after eight minutes when N'Koudou slipped and Grujic's cross was deflected across the goal, leaving Daniel Sturridge to nip in ahead of the keeper to lift it over him and into the net.

It was an unfortunate goal to concede, but the Spurs crowd got right behind the team and were appreciative of Vorm's agility when Sturridge almost lifted a shot over the keeper from 20 yards out, but the Dutchman threw up a right hand to push the ball over the bar.

Twice Janssen had half chances just inside and outside the box, but he was out-muscled and deprived of an opportunity of shooting at goal. When Origi got away by turning Wimmer close to the side-line in his own half, he ran and ran at the Spurs defence before poking it left to Sturridge, who produced a weak shot straight at Vorm from ten yards out.

Spurs were moving the ball around comfortably, but made little headway into Liverpool's last third, leaving a string of broken down moves. The closest they came was in the 22nd minute, when Trippier's free-kick from the right picked out Janssen at the far post, but he was unable to get his header back across goal and on target. Tottenham were closing down effectively and putting pressure on the Liverpool players to play the ball quicker than they wanted, but balls up to Janssen were held well, without players coming to support him and join in the play.

Alexander-Arnold got a booking for a high tackle that brought his studs down Ben Davies' leg and he was perhaps a little lucky it wasn't red. The home crowd was silent for long periods of the first half, being joined by the Spurs contingent when CVC and Grujic clashed heads and both went down. They were both OK to carry on after being checked by the physios.

When Moreno fouled Trippier late for a second time, the referee gave Spurs a free-kick out on the right. When it was swung in, a Liverpool head flicked it on and it ran to Janssen at the back post. He struck a shot from a tight angle, which Mingolet palmed wide and then when the ball came back in from the right, it again went through to the far post. This time, N'Koudou met it on the volley and it was blocked for a corner.

The home team were feeling the heat as Spurs pressed hard around the Liverpool penalty area, but when Stewart picked off a pass in the centre circle, it released Grujic on the right, but the shot was pulled across goal and wide. Soon, Spurs won another corner, Carroll put in a low ball and three Liverpool players missed it, but it dropped to a red shirt to hack clear. CVC did well to cut out a Moreno cross-shot as he broke down the left, then at the other end, Janssen did well on the left, with not a lot on, but created a cross, which Onomah couldn't get on the end of. Josh was having a bit of a mare, with a foul given every time he tackled and even running offside, when Trippier put him through, even though he was able to look along the line.

Half-time brought no changes and while Alexander-Arnold played a ball across the face of goal and out, it was Tottenham who enjoyed more of the possession. The first effort to show from it came when Janssen held the ball up with his back to goal and picked out Trippier across the area and he teed himself up for a volley from 20 yards that went a couple of feet over. Winks then ran at the Liverpool defence, put it wide and won a corner. When it was cleared, there was a build up that saw Origi play the ball across form the right to Sturridge, who completely missed his kick and the ball bounced off his standing leg and was cleared. Origi played a couple of balls into the area, which got the home crowd excited and then Sturridge looked to go around CVC, but the young Spurs defender managed to ease him away form the ball (whether that was totally fairly, I don't know), but Vorm came out to kick clear. Spurs had a shot from 18 yards from N'Koudou that was straight at the keeper, then Sturridge pulled the ball back to Wijnaldum, who kicked over the ball and then Vorm had to be alert to produce a reach upwards to get Origi's effort from 20 yards out over the bar with his fingertips.

A break out of nothing from centre field saw Wijnaldum slip the ball through to Sturridge, who was onside and while Vorm stood up, the Liverpool striker slipped the ball through him to make it 2-0 with 25 minutes left.  Sturridge fancied his hat-trick and went close, firing a free-kick over the angle from just outside the box and then, when referee Moss gave a weak free-kick for Wanyama being stronger than one of the Liverpool youngsters, Wijanldum fired it over the wall, but Vorm punched the ball clear. Spurs went forward and when the ball bounced around, Lamela got the ball with his back to goal and Lucas pulled him down. Janssen grabbed the ball and fired it down the middle to make it 2-1 with 15 minutes left.

When Spurs played the ball well around the Liverpool box, Lamela went through one tackle and Moreno then pulled him back, but this time the referee bottled it and waved play on. When play went to the other end, Sturridge hit the bar with a deflected effort that took it over Vorm, but was cleared when it bounced down.

It was end to end now and a Spurs corner was cleared and picked up by Wanyama, who pushed it past a defender and hit a low shot from the right side of the box, which Mingolet had to save with Janssen sniffing around should there be a loose ball. There was a great chance when Lamela got the ball when Winks won it and his cross-field pass picked out substitute Shayon Harrison in the area. Unfortunately, the youngster's chest control took the ball too close to Mingolet and the keeper gathered the ball when he should really have been tested.

Liverpool hit Spurs on the break, as we pressed for an equaliser, with Ings getting away and to the edge of the box and he went for power, but could not beat Vorm, who produced a good stop by pushing the ball wide. Spurs had a good opening, when Winks won the ball and ran forward from the halfway line, but when he got to 20 yards out, he decided to have a shot that flew well over, with players running off him.

Liverpool fans were keen for the final whistle and some cheap free-kicks for the home team and bookings for Spurs players helped them through to a place in the quarter finals.  They probably deserved it on the balance of play, as Spurs were not dangerous enough in the last third, while Liverpool created good chances, only to be denied by Vorm, who had a pretty good game against them again.  Janssen battled away up front, but was isolated too much and not given either decent service or decent support.  I think Poch may have to re-think how to play with him in the side, as being the lone striker looks a tricky role for him at the moment.  Credit to him for sticking the penalty away, as it shows he has confidence and to Lamela, who changed the impetus of the Spurs side when he came on as a sub. 

The loss was our first to an English side and the way they bounce back on Saturday will be a test for them, albeit not many will be starting that game.   It was annoying to lose to a Liverpool team, who much-changed managed the match better than Tottenham, but could have been there for the taking.  However, we have bigger fish to fry and this competition might have been one that Pochettino said to Levy that we could play younger teams in to see how far we get.  The draw was not favourable to Spurs, but then it rarely is.  So, for some of the side tonight, it will be the last first team action they see until the FA Cup, unless we qualify for the knock-out stage of the Champions League with games to spare.
 

Pete Stachio

 
 

 

PUB FACT*

Liverpool were originally going to wear an all white kit, but after a wash-load of work wear from a cochineal factory found their way into their wash, the resulting all red kit became that which is known through all of Merseyside.
 

 

 
Match sponsors -
Match sponsors -
Match ball sponsors -
Match programme sponsors -
Match shirt sponsors -
   

 

 

 
What you thought
East Stan What Stan Chun said on Saturday equally applies to tonight's match.  Sky put Niall Quinn as co-commentator and why ?  He has no affinity with one club or the other and in fact, has an undisguised bias against Spurs as a former Gooner. 

While some of his comments were more mild because of the age of some of the players, he did not shirk from putting the boot in on Tottenham's youngsters, including a really "cynical" foul by Winks, which Quinn "doesn't "like to see".  When Shayon Harrison, on the pitch for a matter of minutes, failed to control the ball when played into the box, it was poor technical skill, but when Sturridge and Wijnaldum air kick in front of goal, they are put off by defenders or fail to be criticised in the same way.

It didn't really help that two ex-Spurs players were in the Anfield studio, as they both had more illustrious Liverpool careers and most of the talk was about the home team.

Unbiased presentation might be nice, but like Spurs getting a homer ref, I can't see it happening in a long while.
 

- -.
 

 

* Pub facts may not actually be true, but after a few pints everyone will think so.

 

Back to homepage