LONDON: Liverpool piled on the misery for troubled Tottenham Hotspur with a 3-1 League Cup third-round win, while teenage star Max Dowman dazzled for Arsenal in their 4-2 rout of Ipswich Town on Tuesday.
After a woeful start to the Premier League season, Tottenham’s hopes of a moraleboosting cup run came to a dispiriting end at rain-lashed Anfield.
Liverpool swatted them aside, with Alexis Mac Allister, Cody Gakpo and Dominik Szoboszlai scoring for the Reds.
Roberto De Zerbi’s fourth-bottom team are without a win or even a goal in their first four league matches, losing twice and drawing twice.
Tottenham’s only win this season has come in the League Cup against second-tier Charlton.
After successive 17th-place finishes including avoiding relegation on the final day of last season the north London clubspent over 300 million pounds ($404 million) on 10 new signings since the end of last term.
But the return on that eyewatering investment has not been immediate, sparking fears of anotherrelegation battle.
However, De Zerbi is convinced that his team will score a lot more goals and pick up wins once they finally click.
‘We are suffering because the results are our life. If we lose, we are sorry, we are sad, we are disappointed, we are frustrated,’ De Zerbi told Spurs’ official website after the third-round defeat. ‘It’s tough. But it’s the first moment, the first part of this new project.
Adding to De Zerbi’s problems, unsettled striker Richarlison took to social media to lament the Italian’s decision to leave him out of the squad to face Liverpool.
Richarlison wants to leave, but moves to Everton and Vasco Da Gama have fallen through recently.Tottenham host Aston Villa on Saturday in a game that De Zerbi desperately needs to win to ease the pressure on him going into the international break.
DOWMAN MAKES HIS MARK At Portman Road, Dowman took centre stage to remind Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta of hisburgeoningtalent.
Arsenal, who lost the League Cup final against Manchester City last season, have won their six games in all competitions this term.
Arteta made nine changes from the side that won at Sunderland on Saturday, with 16-year-old Dowman given his first appearance this season.
Dowman opened the scoring for the Premier League champions before Noni Madueke increased their lead in the 16th minute. Dowman struck again in the 47th minute and Mikel Merino grabbed Arsenal’s fourth 11 minutes later.
Dowman has been ear-marked as a future star since bursting onto the scene as a 15-year-old last season.
‘Unbelievable, he’s unpredictable, he can go either way, so fluid, so nice to watch,’ Arteta said of Dowman. ‘He is 16; we don’t really see that in the Premier League,’ Arteta said.
‘In this environment, we want to develop him, and we need to look after him.’Anis Mehmeti’s 62ndminute reply and Chuba Akpom’s stoppage-time strike were little consolation for outclassed Ipswich.
Meanwhile on Tuesday, Fulham made nine changes but still won 3-2 at Championship leaders West Ham United, with goals from Rodrigo Muniz, Cesar Palacios and Oscar Bobb, who bagged the 78th-minute winner.
Elsewhere, Brentford won 2-1 at third-tier Reading thanks to goals from Callum Wilson and Fabio Carvalho.-Agencies