Tottenham crashed out of the Carabao Cup after a 3-1 defeat to a youthful Liverpool side at Anfield, and the ratings sheet made the same point in blunt fashion. Destiny Udogie came out as Spurs' best performer, while too many of his teammates were stuck on 4s and 5s.
Udogie's bright night on a flat Spurs sheet
Sam Tabuteau of the Evening Standard gave Udogie 7, calling him "an important outlet down the left" and adding that he set up Spurs' two best chances. First he cut the ball back for Archie Gray to attack, then he crossed to the near post for Mohammed Kudus to fire over. The first of those chances should have produced more, and Spurs needed more from the players around him.
Mathys Tel was down at 4 after completing just two of his five attempted dribbles, which sums up the lack of end product in the forward line. Rodrigo Bentancur also lost four of six ground duels before being replaced by Mateus Fernandes, and that midfield battle was not going Tottenham's way.
Udogie's own season rating sits at 6.29, and he has only three Premier League appearances this season. That is a small enough run to explain why he still feels like a fresh option, but on this night he looked like the one Spurs player who could carry the ball and create something from it.
Liverpool's finish decided the tie
Tottenham did have spells where they worked the ball into good areas, but Liverpool were far sharper when chances opened up. Alexis Mac Allister set the tone with the opener, Cody Gakpo doubled the lead in the 54th minute with a right-footed shot into the far corner, and Dominik Szoboszlai later settled it with a thunderous half-volley.
Those were the decisive moments, and they came from players who have started the season well. Gakpo's Premier League rating is 7.33, while Szoboszlai sits at 7.06. Liverpool did not need many openings once the game tilted their way, and that was enough to make Spurs pay for the waste at the other end.
Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 1 outlet. How we work →
