Andy Robertson goes back to Anfield tonight, and Tottenham have not won there since 2011
Liverpool host Tottenham in the Carabao Cup third round at 12.30am IST, with Robertson facing his old club for the first time and Roberto De Zerbi’s side still without a league goal this season.
Sep 15, 2026
Andy Robertson left Liverpool this summer after nine years, a free agent whose contract ran out once Milos Kerkez had taken his place at left-back. He signed for Tottenham on 1 July. Tonight he walks back into Anfield in a navy away shirt, for a Carabao Cup third-round tie that Roberto De Zerbi needs far more than Andoni Iraola does.
Kick-off is 8pm BST, which is 12.30am on Wednesday in India. The tie was originally set for Wednesday night and was pulled forward a day because of scheduling clashes.
Fifteen years since Spurs last won here
The last Tottenham side to win at Anfield did it in May 2011, when Rafael van der Vaart and Luka Modric scored in a 2-0 win for Harry Redknapp against Kenny Dalglish’s Liverpool. Nothing since, in any competition. Before that night, their previous league win at Anfield had come in August 1993, when Teddy Sheringham scored twice. Two wins in 33 years is the shape of it.
The competition itself is Liverpool territory. Their ten League Cups are more than any other club has won, and the run of four in a row from 1981 to 1984 has only ever been matched by Manchester City.
A Tottenham side that cannot score
De Zerbi’s problem is not subtle. Tottenham are 17th in the Premier League with two points from four matches. They have scored zero goals and conceded five. Two goalless draws, two defeats, and a squad that cost a great deal of money over the summer.
The injury list does not help. Sandro Tonali picked up a knock in training this week and misses out, and Pedro Porro, Dejan Kulusevski, Mykhailo Mudryk, Wilson Odobert and Xavi Simons are all unavailable. Destiny Udogie is back after sitting out the Everton game, which is at least one senior body returning.
De Zerbi has suggested he will not tear up the side for a cup tie. With the pressure already where it is, that reads less like squad management and more like a manager who wants a result in front of him tonight rather than a plan for Saturday.
Liverpool are unbeaten and drawing everything
Iraola’s league record is a strange one. Four matches, one win, three draws, no defeats, eighth in the table on six points. Liverpool have drawn their last four league games at Anfield and could not break Fulham down on Saturday. They did beat Atletico Madrid 2-1 in the Champions League on 9 September, which is the one night this season when things clicked.
Giorgi Mamardashvili starts in goal ahead of Alisson. Iraola was direct about it: “I also rate Giorgi very highly. He’s a very good keeper and he’s going to start tomorrow, yes.” Joe Gomez is available for the first time since a pre-season muscle injury, though his minutes will be watched. Conor Bradley, Federico Chiesa, Hugo Ekitike and Giovanni Leoni are all out.
The bigger issue for Iraola is the calendar. “It’s the third game,” he said. “It’s the worst scenario: game, two days, game, two days, game.” He is still working out which of his players can go again 48 hours later without dropping off.
What tonight is actually about
For Liverpool it is a chance to see whether the squad has anything in it, with a goalkeeper change and a returning defender to look at. For Tottenham it is simpler and harsher. Four matches without a goal is the sort of run that starts writing a manager’s story for him, and a cup tie at a ground where your club has not won since 2011 is a brutal place to try to end it.
Robertson, for what it is worth, will get the reception he has earned. Whether he gets anything else out of the night is a different question.