Liverpool made a great response following their goalless draw against Manchester United in their last league encounter. Last night, the All-Reds welcomed West Ham United at Anfield to play the quarter-final of the Carabao Cup, where they ran riot over the Hammers.
Liverpool cruised past West Ham United with five goals and secured their place in the semifinal, where they will meet against Fulham. West Ham United, on the other hand, had to end their journey in this tournament following a humiliating defeat last night.
As It Happened
It is common for managers to make some changes in cup games and play with the second squad. Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp is no exception! He made several changes in the starting XI last night compared to the squad that played against Manchester United.
Jurgen Klopp set up the team formation with 4-3-3, where Cody Gakpo and Darwin Nunez led Liverpool’s frontline along with Harvey Elliot. As Klopp benched Mo Salah, Harvey Elliot played in the right wing and did an excellent job.
On the other hand, Hammers’ boss David Moyes played his team in a 4-2-3-1 formation, where Jarrod Bowen played as the central forward.
However, the match started with Liverpool dominating the Hammers at Anfield. Liverpool were very aggressive from the start and tried to take an early lead. As a result, the home side didn’t have to wait much to take the lead as Dominik Szoboszlai broke the deadlock in the 28th minute.
West Ham United tried to find the equalizer but couldn’t break Liverpool’s defense in the first half. As a result, Liverpool went to the break with a one-goal lead.
Liverpool got another goal early in the second half. This time, Curtis Jones found the net in the 56th minute with the help of Darwin Nunez. But the goal galore started when Jurgen Klopp deployed his key players like Mohammad Salah, Trent Alexander Arnold, and Ibrahim Konate. These players were unstoppable against the Hammers. With their continuous aggression, West Ham conceded the third goal when Cody Gakpo found the net in the 71st minute.
However, Jarrod Bowen returned one within six minutes as he scored with the help of Johnson. But Liverpool didn’t stop searching for goals. In the 82nd minute, Liverpool’s top scorer Mo Salah scored an amazing goal from Arnold’s assist. Alexander Arnold set up another goal within two minutes, leading Curtis Jones to score his second goal. In the end, Liverpool won the match by a 5-1 margin at Anfield and booked their place in the semifinal of the Carabao Cup.
