It was an almost-perfect night for Liverpool, as they put weekend frustrations behind them to thrash West Ham 5-1 and reach the Carabao Cup semi-finals.
Liverpool 5-1 West Ham
Carabao Cup Quarter-Final, Anfield
December 20, 2023
Goals
Szoboszlai 28′ (assist – Quansah)
Jones 56′ (assist – Nunez)
Gakpo 71′ (assist – Konate)
Bowen 77′
Salah 82′ (assist – Alexander-Arnold)
Jones 85′ (assist – Alexander-Arnold)
With six changes to the side and a tweaked attack, Liverpool started strongly against a rotated West Ham, with Darwin Nunez and Harvey Elliott threats on the wing.
Elliott twice went close in the opening quarter-hour as he cut onto his stronger left foot, firing just wide of the right-hand post with efforts from either channel.
For a while, it looked as though Liverpool were resorting to desperate pot-shots after a similar problem against Man United, until Dominik Szoboszlai stepped up with a stunner.
The Hungary captain picked the ball up from Jarell Quansah towards the right of midfield, setting himself and hitting a brilliant strike which swerved at the last minute into the bottom corner for 1-0.
Cody Gakpo should have done better as he nodded an Elliott cross off target, but Liverpool still took the lead into the break after a half they entirely dominated.
HT: Liverpool 1-0 West Ham
Neither manager made a change at half-time, with David Moyes instead hoping his team talk will have inspired a side that offered little resistance in the opening 45 minutes.
Nunez, desperate to stop a goal drought stretching into 11 games, drew a save from Alphonse Areola with a smart turn and left-footed shot that was destined for the top corner.
The Uruguayan added another assist to his tally for Liverpool’s second, though, playing a sharp one-two with Curtis Jones who, spotting no one in the six-yard box, fired in from a very tight angle to make it 2-0.
That prompted a triple change, and it was three key players who came on, with Ibrahima Konate, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Mo Salah replacing Virgil van Dijk, Wataru Endo and Szoboszlai in a clearly pre-planned move.
It summed up a perfect night for Liverpool, that saw West Ham register their first shot in the 71st minute and Gakpo fire in at the other end immediately after.
West Ham‘s second shot ended up going in, with Jarrod Bowen – who Jurgen Klopp described as his “favourite player” before kickoff – drifted past Quansah and arrowed it in.
There was still time for a goal from Salah, who had missed on the rebound minutes earlier when Nunez hit the post, as he raced onto Alexander-Arnold’s ball and finished beyond Areola.
And then a second for Jones, picking the ball up from deep, driving forward and dancing through challenges into the box, then sending the ball beyond a hopeless goalkeeper.
Liverpool are emphatically into the Carabao Cup semi-finals, then, as they chase their first trophy of the season.
TIA Man of the Match: Curtis Jones
Referee: Tim Robinson
Liverpool: Kelleher; Gomez, Quansah, Van Dijk (Konate 60′), Tsimikas (Bradley 68′); Endo (Alexander-Arnold 60′), Szoboszlai (Salah 60′), Jones; Elliott, Nunez, Gakpo (Diaz 78′)
Subs not used: Adrian, McConnell, Clark, Gordon
West Ham: Areola; Coufal (Kehrer 72′), Ogbonna, Mavropanos, Johnson; Alvarez (Ings 81′), Soucek; Kudus (Ward-Prowse 72′), Fornals, Benrahma (Paqueta 72′); Bowen
Subs not used: Fabianski, Cresswell, Zouma, Emerson, Mubama
Next match: Arsenal (H) – Premier League – Saturday, December 23, 5.30pm (GMT)
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