Liverpool’s Kids Shine in EFL Cup Victory

Liverpool are safely into the fourth round of the EFL Cup after seeing off Tottenham Hotspur at Anfield on Tuesday night. The win came with Andoni Iraola ripping up his weekend teamsheet: 10 changes from the side that drew with Fulham, a clear signal that this was an audition night.

Cup ties like this are usually where fringe players breathe. Some took that chance. Others watched it pass them by.

Frimpong Exposed on a Big Night

Trey Nyoni, James McConnell and Lewis Koumas were handed rare starts, the kind of opportunity that can reshape a season for a young player. Jeremie Frimpong also got the nod at right-back, but his evening told a very different story.

Iraola’s football demands full-backs who fly forward. Frimpong, signed for £30m from Bayer Leverkusen in the summer of 2025, was supposed to be tailor-made for that role. Instead, he offered almost nothing going the other way and looked vulnerable defensively.

Tottenham quickly sensed weakness. They went after his flank, over and over. Mathys Tel, Mohammed Kudus and Omar Marmoush all enjoyed themselves down his side, dragging him into uncomfortable territory for most of his 90 minutes.

This wasn’t an isolated off-night either. Frimpong has struggled to convince in a red shirt since he arrived, drawing heavy criticism from sections of the fanbase last season and again in the early weeks of this one. Right now, he looks a long way from the player Liverpool thought they were buying.

The hierarchy at right-back under Iraola is already clear. Ronald Araujo is the first-choice, the trusted defender. Conor Bradley is on his way back from injury and expected to return to the fold soon. Frimpong, by contrast, sits near the bottom of the pile, widely viewed as one of the squad’s weakest links.

That is a brutal place to be when the club are still searching for someone who can come close to what Trent Alexander-Arnold once gave them before his move to Real Madrid. On this evidence, Liverpool may yet need to go back into the market for a new starting right-back. Frimpong has serious work to do to prove he even has a long-term future at Anfield.

Endo Frozen Out

If Frimpong’s night was frustrating, Wataru Endo’s was worse. He didn’t even get on the pitch.

The 33-year-old midfielder, signed for £16m, might reasonably have expected a start or at least some minutes in a tie dominated by rotation. Instead, he watched from the bench as younger teammates took centre stage.

The warning signs were already there. Endo was left out of Liverpool’s 25-man Champions League squad last week, alongside Federico Chiesa, with McConnell and Nyoni both registered ahead of him. That was a clear message. This was confirmation.

With Iraola making 10 changes against Spurs and Endo still not used – just as he has been an unused substitute in all four of Liverpool’s Premier League matches so far – this felt like the perfect opportunity to give him a role in midfield, or even at the back. During pre-season he impressed as a makeshift centre-back against Como. He has not been seen there since.

Instead, Iraola turned to 22-year-old McConnell and 19-year-old Nyoni in the starting XI, while Ryan Gravenberch and Dominik Szoboszlai began on the bench and later joined the action. Endo stayed seated, waiting for a call that never came.

Iraola has been open about the situation.

“The problem is, in front of him in his position, I have a lot of players," he said recently. “He’s competing against a lot of players because we are also giving minutes to Trey (Nyoni), Ryan (Gravenberch), Alexis (Mac Allister), Dom (Szoboszlai), players that I am selecting right now. “But Wata is definitely a player that I like and for sure he will have his moments.”

The words are kind. The reality is harsh. If Endo cannot get on the pitch in a home cup tie where the manager has ripped up his usual XI and handed opportunities to teenagers, when exactly will those “moments” arrive?

His contract expires at the end of the season. With so many midfielders clearly ahead of him, Liverpool now face what looks like an obvious decision: try to move him on in January and recoup what they can, rather than let him walk for nothing in the summer.

Iraola’s selections speak louder than his soundbites. He doesn’t trust Endo, and the most logical outcome for everyone involved is a parting of ways in a few months’ time.

Liverpool’s youngsters used this cup night to step into the light. For Frimpong and Endo, it only sharpened the shadows around their futures.