Jota and Gakpo double up as Liverpool come from behind to rout West Ham
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Faces may change in |A|
the technical areas and |B|
out on the pitch |C|
but the story remains |D|
the same for Liverpool |E|
and West Ham in |F|
the Carabao Cup. It |G|
was another sorry tale |H|
for the Hammers, routed |J|
5-1 in the competition |K|
for the second successive |L|
season at Anfield, and |M|
a further demonstration of |O|
the rich resources bequeathed |P|
to Arne Slot. The |Q|
holders ultimately advanced with |R|
ease. While Liverpool’s head coach |S|
utilised the depth of |U|
his squad to oversee |V|
another hugely encouraging display, |Y|
the problems increase for |Z|
his West Ham counterpart |A|
Julen Lopetegui. His team |B|
threatened in spells but |C|
lacked the clinical edge |D|
displayed by Diogo Jota, |E|
Cody Gakpo and Mohamed |F|
Salah, Liverpool’s goalscorers on |G|
the night they booked |H|
a fourth‑round trip to |J|
Brighton. They also disintegrated |K|
defensively after Edson Álvarez’s |L|
deserved red card. Lopetegui’s |M|
troubles were not confined |O|
to his team. He |P|
sustained a calf injury |Q|
when stamping angrily on |R|
the ground after a |S|
glaring miss by Crysencio |U|
Summerville and left the |V|
stadium on crutches. “We don’t |Y|
deserve this score,” said |Z|
David Moyes’s summer replacement. |A|
“We were in the |B|
match, even better than |C|
them at times, but |D|
we suffered a goal |E|
being disallowed before we |F|
scored, it was a |G|
pity there was no |H|
VAR, and we could |J|
have had a penalty |K|
in the second half |L|
for a clear handball. |M|
The next action they |O|
scored. We then had |P|
a very good 20 |Q|
minutes to draw but |R|
with the third goal |S|
and the red card |U|
it was much more |V|
difficult. The last part |Y|
of the match was |Z|
very bad for us |A|
but we don’t deserve |B|
this.” The sluggish start to |C|
Lopetegui’s reign was not |D|
the only thing troubling |E|
West Ham’s sizeable support. |F|
In the opening minutes |G|
of the tie they |H|
paraded a banner that |J|
read “Stop exploiting loyalty” |K|
in protest at rising |L|
ticket prices and the |M|
removal of some concessions |O|
at their club. A |P|
productive spell midway through |Q|
the first half helped |R|
to lift the visiting |S|
mood, but only temporarily. The |U|
opener, minutes after Danny |V|
Ings had a goal |Y|
disallowed for offside against |Z|
his former club, was |A|
an absolute mess from |B|
Liverpool’s perspective. Jean‑Clair Todibo |C|
headed Jarrod Bowen’s corner |D|
on to Álvarez, who |E|
struggled to get the |F|
ball from under his |G|
feet and was thwarted |H|
by Conor Bradley’s tackle |J|
when he eventually did |K|
so. Wataru Endo attempted |L|
to complete the clearance |M|
but succeeded in slamming |O|
the ball against Jarell |P|
Quansah and in off |Q|
the unfortunate defender. West Ham’s |R|
joy lasted all of |S|
four minutes. The hosts |U|
levelled courtesy of a |V|
flowing move plus Jota’s |Y|
sharp reactions. The Portugal |Z|
international pierced the visiting |A|
defence with a first‑time |B|
pass that released Gakpo |C|
down the left. Gakpo’s |D|
delicate cross found Federico |E|
Chiesa, who swept an |F|
acrobatic volley into the |G|
ground towards Lukasz Fabianski. |H|
Before the West Ham |J|
keeper or Max Kilman |K|
could intervene Jota, darting |L|
in front of the |M|
pair as soon as |O|
the ball left the |P|
Italy international’s foot, equalised |Q|
with a brave, close-range |R|
header. Jota tormented |B|
West Ham again when |C|
Liverpool took the lead |D|
shortly after the restart, |E|
and minutes after Joe |F|
Gomez had survived strong |G|
appeals by the visitors |H|
for handball inside his |J|
penalty area. There would |K|
be more when Bowen’s |L|
cross struck Kostas Tsimikas. |M|
The referee, Andy Madley, |O|
was again unmoved, correctly |P|
as it turned out, |Q|
and booked Lopetegui for |R|
his protestations. Replays showed |S|
the ball striking the |U|
left‑back in the stomach. Liverpool’s |V|
lead owed much to |Y|
the determination and vision |Z|
of Curtis Jones. The |A|
midfielder created the goal |B|
first with a strong, |C|
surging run from deep |D|
inside his own half |E|
and then, having exchanged |F|
passes with Gakpo, by |G|
threading a perfectly weighted |H|
ball into Jota’s path |J|
inside the box. The |K|
striker showed his usual |L|
pinpoint accuracy in front |M|
of goal and found |O|
Fabianski’s bottom left hand |P|
corner. West Ham threatened briefly |Q|
to restore parity but |R|
Kilman and Carlos Soler |S|
both squandered excellent chances. |U|
Their night deteriorated thereafter. |V|
Salah, Chiesa’s second‑half replacement, |Y|
effectively settled the tie |Z|
with a convincing finish |A|
into the roof of |B|
the net after Fabianski |C|
had denied Alexis Mac |D|
Allister. Álvarez stupidly picked |E|
up his second booking |F|
of the night for |G|
a late foul on |H|
Salah two minutes later. |J|
Gakpo capitalised ruthlessly, drilling |K|
his first goal of |L|
the season into the |M|
near corner after exchanging |O|
passes with Darwin Núñez |P|
and seeing another low |Q|
shot deflect into the |R|
opposite corner off Todibo. “For |S|
two months people only |U|
asked me about [signing] |V|
new players,” said Slot, |Y|
who made nine changes |Z|
from the Premier League |A|
win against Bournemouth on |B|
Saturday. “I constantly told |C|
you about the amount |D|
of quality players we |E|
already have here. We |F|
have many quality players.” |G|
It showed.
