Andoni Iraola lauded Dominik Szoboszlai after the midfielder's sensational stoppage-time strike sealed a 3-1 victory for Liverpool over Tottenham. Goals from Alexis Mac Allister, Cody Gakpo, and the Hungarian international booked the Reds' place in the Carabao Cup fourth round, compounding a miserable run of form for Roberto De Zerbi's struggling side.
Mac Allister opened the scoring on Tuesday night with a measured finish before Gakpo doubled the advantage after the restart following a slick passing move. Tottenham pulled a goal back through Conor Gallagher's flick from a corner to crank up the pressure in the closing stages. The hosts finally sealed victory in stoppage time courtesy of a sensational 25-yard thunderbolt from Szoboszlai in front of the Anfield faithful.
The Basque tactician was delighted with the energy shown by his rotated side, despite coming under sustained late pressure from the visitors. Speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live after the game, Iraola said: "I am pleased with the performance. I think there have been different phases in the game but overall I liked the energy. We scored but I am happy because we are in the next round.
“I think at 2-0, they have to take a risk and win some territory. We were defending well but conceding a lot of set-pieces and when they scored that put us under some pressure. Luckily for us we found a way to score a third and finish the game properly."
Iraola reserved special praise for Szoboszlai after the midfielder capped off the triumph with his lethal long-range finishing ability. Addressing the spectacular late strike, the manager added: "I think the thing with Dom is when he is going to shoot he has a chance to score. With him you believe because he has done it before. He is a great finisher."
A commanding victory books Liverpool's place in the Carabao Cup fourth round, offering an invaluable boost in squad depth after making ten changes to the starting line-up. For De Zerbi, the result only compounds early-season woes, with Tottenham now suffering three defeats in their opening six matches. While the hosts turn their attention to Wednesday night's draw, Spurs are left searching for urgent answers to address an increasingly toothless attack.