Iraola confirms Gomez half-time exit was planned in Liverpool's 3-1 win over Tottenham

Joe Gomez made a welcome return from a two-month injury layoff in Liverpool's 3-1 Carabao Cup win over Tottenham, with his half-time substitution confirmed as a pre-planned part of his recovery. The victory, secured by goals from Alexis Mac Allister, Cody Gakpo and Dominik Szoboszlai, sent Liverpool into the fourth round and extended their unbeaten run to five matches across all competitions.

Manager Andoni Iraola stated the 29-year-old vice-captain was only ever scheduled for around 45 minutes. "Yes, it was (planned), I think Joe has been doing the recovery very well," Iraola said. "With him it makes sense. It wasn’t set but the plan was not a lot more than 45, yes."

The manager started the season with a shortage of senior central defenders, making Gomez's controlled return important. New signing Ronald Araujo, on a season-long loan from Barcelona, started alongside him and provides key depth at the back. Iraola singled out the Uruguayan for praise after the match.

Iraola also lauded Cody Gakpo, who scored Liverpool's second goal and provided an assist for Szoboszlai's late strike. The manager said Gakpo offers goals, assists, physicality, calmness on the ball and vital experience. He described Szoboszlai's long-range effort as a "worldie" and outstanding, noting that with the Hungarian, everyone anticipates a shot before he takes it.

The win continues a solid start to the season for Liverpool, who sit eighth in the Premier League with six points from four games. They are six points behind leaders Arsenal ahead of their next league fixture away to 15th-placed Bournemouth on Sunday. Fans can check the full upcoming fixtures and view the current squad list, which now includes the returning Gomez.

First reported at Daily Mirror Football