Liverpool booked their place to the Carabao Cup semifinals on Wednesday night as they registered a 5-1 victory over West Ham United at Anfield.
A quick start to the game saw the Reds looking to play at a high tempo after winning the ball back, and after two Harvey Elliott efforts went narrowly wide, Dominik Szoboszlai's shot from range in the 28th minute was too precise for West Ham goalkeeper Alphonse Areola. Cody Gakpo came closest to doubling the lead with a header that fell to the wrong side of the post just before halftime.
Liverpool kept the pressure on the Hammers after the restart and didn't take long to score their second goal as Curtis Jones finished from close range after being played through by Darwin Núñez. Gakpo added a third 15 minutes later.
Jarrod Bowen provided a glimmer of hope for the Hammers with a well-taken strike shortly thereafter, but the game was put out of sight when the Reds added two more. First Mohamed Salah, who was picked out with an exquisite pass by Trent Alexander-Arnold, before Jones scored his second to confirm his brace.
- Stream on ESPN+: The Carabao Cup semifinals start Jan. 8
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Positives
Five goals after a disappointing 0-0 draw at the weekend was the perfect response by Liverpool ahead of the upcoming festive period, in which momentum will be important during the jostle for position in the Premier League title race.
Negatives
There aren't too many negatives to pick out from a dominant performance, though the Caoimhin Kelleher and the defence will be disappointed to have surrendered their clean sheet.
Manager rating (1-10; 10 = best)
Jurgen Klopp, 7 -- He deployed a strong team with hopes of securing qualification to the semifinal and his side delivered in promising fashion. He also used his substitutes well when thinking ahead to the next Premier League match, keeping his attacking options sharp.
Player ratings
GK Caoimhin Kelleher, 6 -- There wasn't a save to make for the Liverpool goalkeeper in the first half as West Ham failed to register a single effort on target. He was beaten in the second half by a well-hit strike by Bowen.
DF Virgil van Dijk, 6 -- Liverpool's captain commanded the backline well but didn't look to get out of first gear before going off for Ibrahima Konate at the hour mark.
DF Jarell Quansah, 7 -- The 20-year-old centre-back was alert to the danger and won the ball back on countless occasions, including for the possession that led to Liverpool's opening goal, which he assisted. Quansah enjoyed a strong performance on the night apart from the moment when he was beaten by Bowen for West Ham's goal.
DF Kostas Tsimikas, 7 -- He was aggressive in the press and made it difficult for his opponent to turn, and that allowed Liverpool to win the ball back in dangerous areas. The Greece international also supported play when getting forward on the left-flank, where he asked questions of the defence with crosses into the box.
DF Joe Gomez, 7 -- Gomez stretched the play from right-back where he often positioned himself high up the pitch, but he could have done better at times when isolating his marker. Switched to left-back after Tsimikas went off for Conor Bradley. A strong run from the left-side led to a shot on target that drew a save from Areola.
MF Wataru Endo, 8 -- Endo won the ball back in central areas and often made the right decisions with his passing, almost always opting to transition the ball forwards. This was one of the Japan international's best performances for the Reds, in which he set the tempo of the game with his aggressive tackling approach and intelligent positioning.
MF Curtis Jones, 9 -- An all-round excellent performance in midfield by Jones was capped with two well-taken goals in the manner of a seasoned striker. His display will make it difficult for Klopp not to start him on Saturday against Arsenal. In Liverpool's previous match, against Manchester United in the Premier League, Jones came off the bench for Luis Diaz.
MF Dominik Szoboszlai, 7 -- An excellent strike from range put the ball in the exact spot where goalkeeper Alphonse Areola couldn't get it, putting Liverpool 1-0 up in the first half. Szoboszlai caused problems with runs into space that pulled opposition defenders out of position.
FW Darwin Núñez, 7 -- He was deployed from the left flank and impressed with his link-up play in the final third. Forced a save from Areola with a clever turn and left-footed effort on target, and had another effort that was denied only by the goalkeeper's finger tips.
FW Harvey Elliott, 7 -- A lively performance from Harvey Elliott saw him confident in tight areas and able to beat defenders with his dribbling. Came close with two efforts in the first half that were marginally wide of the far post.
FW Cody Gakpo, 7 -- The Netherlands international took up intelligent positions to link the attack when dropping into deeper areas. After coming very close to getting on the scoresheet when connecting to Elliott's cross, he made no mistake with his next chance as his strike from outside of the box made it 3-0.
Substitutes (players introduced after 70 minutes = no rating)
Ibrahima Konate (Van Dijk, 66"), 7 -- The centre-back came on and took just over 10 minutes before making an impact, with a forward run into West Ham territory before assisting Gakpo for Liverpool's third goal of the game.
Mohamed Salah (Szoboszlai, 60"), 7 -- He provided an immediate problem for West Ham with intelligent runs in behind the defence, and that is how he eventually scored after timing his run to perfection before producing an accurate finish into the far corner.
Conor Bradley (Tsimikas, 68"), 6 -- He almost instantly registered an assist after being introduced in the second half, producing a first-time flick over the defence that allowed Salah to have a chance at goal.
Luis Diaz (Gakpo, 78") N/R -- Positive when brought on and Liverpool soon gift-wrapped the match with two goals.