Liverpool vs West Ham United. Carabao Cup Round 3.
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Report and free match highlights from the Carabao Cup third-round clash between Liverpool and West Ham; Diogo Jota and Cody Gakpo scored doubles either side of a Mohamed Salah goal; Hammers had Edson Alvarez sent off in the second half
Thursday 26 September 2024 09:59, UK
Diogo Jota and Cody Gakpo each scored twice as Carabao Cup holders Liverpool came from behind to thrash 10-man West Ham 5-1 and set up a fourth-round tie away against Brighton.
Arne Slot's much-changed side fell behind when Jarell Quansah turned into his own net from a West Ham corner in the first half but Jota led a devastating Liverpool response.
The 27-year-old acrobatically headed home a miskicked effort by full debutant Federico Chiesa for an instant leveller, then put the Reds in front with a cool finish straight after half-time following fine work by Curtis Jones.
West Ham briefly threatened an equaliser after Michail Antonio's introduction, seeing two penalty appeals turned down for handballs, but Mohamed Salah added the third when he slammed in a rebound after fellow substitute Alexis Mac Allister's shot was saved, with the visitors then reduced to 10 men when Edson Alvarez was shown a second yellow card for a foul on Salah.
The Hammers' evening then went from bad to worse as Cody Gakpo added a quickfire double in the final few minutes of the game to turn the result into a rout, continuing a dismal week for Julen Lopetegui following West Ham's 3-0 loss at home to Chelsea on Saturday.
Liverpool, meanwhile, were able to celebrate a sixth win in seven games under their new manager, taking them into the next round of a competition they have won twice in the last three years.
Liverpool will travel to the Amex Stadium to face Brighton in the Carabao Cup fourth round, with Tottenham's home clash against Manchester City the pick of the ties.
Liverpool boss Arne Slot in his press conference: "For two months you only asked me about new players and I constantly told you guys how many quality players we already had.
"That is what we showed in the last weeks and today again, that we have many quality players.
"What pleases me most is that even if a lot of new players come in, they don't come in and try to have a good individual performances. They try to work really hard for the team because there was a lot of desire not to concede.
"And as a result of that, we had some good individual performances as well."
On Diogo Jota: "He has been important for us in every single game he played. But a striker also wants to score goals, so I'm pleased for him that he scored two today. He played on a number 10 position but he scored two really good goals."
On Cody Gakpo: "I think it was 10 or 15 minutes before the end when he cleared the ball in his own 18-yard box. And that is also what he brings to our game, apart from scoring too The way he hits the ball in and around the 18-yard box is with incredible speed, so I'm not surprised him scoring like this."
West Ham boss Julen Lopetegui in his press conference: "We didn't deserve this score. We were in the match in a lot of moments, sometimes even better than them. We started winning then we suffered one offside goal. That is why I love VAR [there is no VAR at this stage of the Carabao Cup].
"In the second half, there is one action that can maybe be a penalty for us. It is very clear for us, it touches the hand [of Joe Gomez]. We didn't get the penalty and they scored the second from the next action.
"After that I think that we had a very good 20 minutes, having very clear chances to level the match. But I think that with the third goal, and above all with Edson Alvarez's red card, it was much more difficult.
"The last part of the match was very bad for us, very bad because the picture is not good and we don't deserve this if you watch the match."
Sky Sports' Nick Wright:
Jota was an unused substitute in Liverpool's 3-0 win over Bournemouth on Saturday, dropping out of the starting line-up for the first time under Slot for Darwin Nunez. On the evidence of this showing, though, he won't stay out of the side for long.
The Portugal international took his goals brilliantly, his first a classic poacher's effort as he rose above Max Kilman - no mean feat given his modest stature - to head home Chiesa's effort from close-range; his second a typically cool finish from Jones' pass.
His impact was particularly impressive given it came from an unfamiliar position. With Nunez operating as Liverpool's No 9 and Gakpo and Chiesa on the flanks, Jota played at No 10, relishing the opportunity to drop into midfield, as he did in the lead-up to his leveller.
Salah's goal from the bench and Gakpo's late double underlined Liverpool's strength in depth in attack on a night when Luis Diaz, their two-goal hero against Bournemouth, was not needed at all. But Jota's early withdrawal suggests he will be back in the side to face Wolves on Saturday.
He has a crucial role to play in the Slot era.
Sky Sports' Nick Wright:
West Ham boss Lopetegui was right when he said his side didn't deserve to lose by such a heavy scoreline. This was a much better performance than their abject showing in losing 3-0 at home to Chelsea on Saturday.
The result might have been very different had key moments worked out in his side's favour. The penalty appeals were not as clear-cut as he suggested but there is no doubting that West Ham were on top before Salah scored Liverpool's third.
After that, though, everything unravelled, and the painful reality is that they are now without a win in four games, during which time they have have conceded 12 goals and only scored three. It has been a tough run, admittedly. But urgent improvement is required, starting at Brentford's Gtech Community Stadium, to kickstart his tenure.
