Sports
Iraola Praises Young Stars as Liverpool Down Tottenham in Carabao Cup
Liverpool head coach Andoni Iraola commended his fringe players following the team's 3-1 Carabao Cup third-round victory over Tottenham. Iraola singled out man-of-the-match Lewis Koumas, son of former Tranmere and West Brom midfielder Jason Koumas, describing his energy as 'contagious.' The 20-year-old, making only his fifth appearance for the club, played as centre-forward while British record signing Alexander Isak, valued at £125million, was rested on the bench. Koumas caused persistent problems for the Spurs defence during his 86 minutes on the pitch. Other young players also impressed, including 22-year-old James McConnell, playing his 14th match, 19-year-old midfielder Trey Nyoni, and winger Rio Ngumoha. Iraola made 10 changes to the starting lineup following Saturday's scoreless draw against Fulham. 'I was happy for them. Different positions, different demands, but I think the best thing is they were exhausted when I substituted them,' Iraola said. 'Trey was cramping, Rio couldn't have run much more, and McConnell was the same. When this happens, it's because you've given everything you have. They showed great athleticism, willingness to fight for the ball, and made their presence felt. I was happy for them.' Regarding Koumas specifically, Iraola added: 'I see him training every day. He knows exactly what he needs to do and what the team needs, and the energy he brings is contagious for everyone else. When you see his runs up front, giving everything, it pushes you to match that same intensity. I am very happy for him.' Liverpool's bench included new signings Bradley Barcola, Victor Munoz, and Jeremy Jacquet, together valued at £220million, along with Alisson Becker and Dominik Szoboszlai. Szoboszlai ultimately made a difference, scoring a stunning goal in stoppage time after Conor Gallagher had pulled one back for Tottenham following goals from Alexis Mac Allister and Cody Gakpo that had put Liverpool 2-0 ahead. 'It's true I made a lot of changes, but I think I needed to because we could see the other day that we lacked energy, and we needed fresh legs,' Iraola explained. 'I am happy because all the players gave us intensity and aggressiveness. I think we were good for large parts of the game, and I'm also pleased because we deserved to win and earned our place in the next round.' Tottenham head coach Roberto De Zerbi noted his team managed to score, something they had failed to do in the Premier League this season, but acknowledged the need for improvement. 'We have to shoot more often and shoot better, and we have to finish our clear chances better, but we are sorry for the result, disappointed, frustrated,' he said. 'We have to be stronger in these unlucky moments because I'm being honest with myself and with you. I think in the last five or six games we have not been lucky. I believe in my players, I have a strong opinion of them, and when we finally click and win a game, we will enjoy it with these players because their attitude is incredible. It is a tough moment, but we have to be stronger.'