Liverpool beat West Ham 5-1 in the EFL Cup thanks to goals from Diogo Jota (two), Cody Gakpo (two) and Mohamed Salah, and these are the five talking points from the match…Jota rediscovers his formDiogo Jota was benched against Bournemouth at the weekend after drawing blanks in Liverpool’s four previous games, and the rest clearly did him the world of good as he netted twice to send the Reds into the next round of the EFL Cup.
Jota was instrumental in Liverpool’s first goal of the game, starting the move inside the Reds’ half, producing a brilliant pass to Cody Gakpo before galloping up the pitch to head home from Chiesa’s volley.
The Portuguese then gave Liverpool the lead for the first time in the second half as he opened his body up and stroked the ball into the far corner after some good work by Curtis Jones.
Jota looked disappointed as he was replaced just before the hour mark but the timing of Slot’s decision to withdraw him hints he has done enough to earn a place in the starting line-up at Wolves on Saturday.
Some people have suggested that the blow of Alexander-Arnold’s possible departure would be softened by the prospect of Conor Bradley taking his place in the team, and this was a largely good night for the young Northern Ireland defender, but he still has a lot to learn.
Bradley was adventurous and lively in attack, and looked largely steady in defence, if not totally rock solid. The 21-year-old played a key role in Mohamed Salah’s goal which made it 3-1 as his low cross eventually made it into to the path of the Egyptian.
Bradley’s night almost took a turn for the worse when he conceded possession sloppily in the closing stages, and he should really have been punished when Crysencio Summerville sent a shot wide of the far post. A few minutes later, he was sold by a Michail Antonio dummy in a dangerous position.
Kostas Tsimikas was disappointing on the opposite flank and a botched tackle gifted Max Kilman a golden opportunity to make it 2-2 in the second half, only for the Hammers defender to miscontrol the ball from six yards out.
Quansah bounces back from nightmare start.
Quansah bounces back from nightmare start.Jarell Quansah could do little to avoid scoring the own-goal which gave West Ham the lead but the timing of it could barely have been worse for the young defender.
This was Quansah’s first appearance for the Reds since he was hooked at half-time of the opening-weekend win at Ipswich Town, and he will have been keen to make an impression on Arne Slot.
Slot, though, will understand that several players were at fault for the visitors’ opening goal, with Wataru Endo’s sloppy clearance going in off the stationary Quansah’s leg. Moments later, Quansah had an opportunity to level proceedings but sent a header high into the Anfield Road End.
The youngster recovered well from the setback and was probably Liverpool’s most solid defender on the day, which is testament to his character.
Chiesa watchMuch of Liverpool supporters’ excitement in the build-up to this match centered around the prospect of Federico Chiesa making his full debut, and he registered his first assist for Liverpool’s equaliser.
After a quiet start to the match, Chiesa attempted an acrobatic volley which he scuffed into the ground, but the mistimed effort did not prove to represent a wasted chance as Diogo Jota leapt high to nod the bouncing ball into the back of the net.
Liverpool news There was a moment of brilliance a few minutes before half-time as Chiesa squared up Vladimir Coufal before nutmegging the West Ham defender and putting a cross into the box. The offside flag went up due to the positioning of Kostas Tsimikas in the move but it was a reminder of the quality Chiesa possesses, and hopefully a sign of things to come.
Reds helped by lack of VAR?Plenty of football fans would like to see VAR removed from the game full stop, and the early stages of the EFL Cup provide a rare opportunity for Premier League players to compete without every decision they make being overanalyzed by an official in Stockley Park.
In the build-up to Liverpool’s first goal, it looked as though Cody Gakpo was marginally offside when Jota set him free down the wing, and had VAR been in play, the Reds’ equaliser may well have been disallowed.
