Liverpool vs West Ham United. Carabao Cup Quarter-Final.
AnfieldAttendance57,332.
Report and highlights as Liverpool thrash West Ham to claim their place in the Carabao Cup last four; Curtis Jones scored twice and Dominik Szoboszlai, Cody Gakpo and Mohamed Salah were also on target; Jarrod Bowen scored for West Ham
Thursday 21 December 2023 07:31, UK
Curtis Jones scored twice as Liverpool thrashed West Ham 5-1 at Anfield to set up a Carabao Cup semi-final against Fulham.
The midfielder struck Liverpool's second and fifth goals, adding to Dominik Szoboszlai's long-range stunner, a precise finish from Cody Gakpo and a breakaway strike by substitute Mohamed Salah.
Jarrod Bowen scored a consolation goal for West Ham but the scoreline reflected the one-sidedness of the contest, with Liverpool registering 29 shots on goal to the visitors' two.
The win pits Liverpool against Fulham in the last four of a competition they have won a record nine times, with Middlesbrough facing Chelsea in the other tie. It also serves as a perfect warm-up for Saturday's Premier League clash with Arsenal, live on Sky Sports.
David Moyes had not won any of his previous 20 visits to Anfield and West Ham offered nothing to suggest that record was about to change as a completely one-sided first half set the tone.
Harvey Elliot was first to threaten, sending a couple of efforts wide, and Szoboszlai might have made the breakthrough earlier had he not slipped when shooting from Darwin Nunez's cut-back.
His goal came from a far more difficult chance as he latched onto Jarell Quansah's pass following a turnover near the halfway line and drilled a stunning strike into the bottom corner from 25 yards out.
West Ham offered next to nothing in response and they were fortunate not to fall further behind when Gakpo headed wide from an Elliot cross moments before the interval.
The floodgates opened after the break, however, starting with Jones' first goal as he fed Nunez with the outside of his boot, then raced forward to collect the Uruguayan's return pass before slotting a cool finish through Alphonse Areola's legs from an acute angle.
The comfortable lead allowed Klopp to make changes in order to keep legs fresh for Saturday's game against Arsenal and one of his substitutes, Salah, made an immediate impact when he put Elliot through on goal, only for the midfielder's shot to be saved.
They didn't have to wait long for the third goal, however, as more poor West Ham defending saw Ibrahima Konate bundle through midfield before feeding Gakpo, whose low shot beat Areola.
West Ham then grabbed their consolation goal from their only meaningful attack of the game, with Bowen, praised by Klopp as one of his "favourite players" before the contest, sending a superb curling finish beyond Caoimhin Kelleher.
But Liverpool hadn't finished. Joe Gomez was denied a first career goal by Areola, and Salah then missed a guilt-edged chance, his mis-hit effort dribbling wide after Nunez had struck the post.
It was an uncharacteristic miss from the Egyptian and he put it right only minutes later, latching onto a Trent Alexander-Arnold pass to run through on goal and finish coolly.
Jones then added the fifth as more dismal defending from the feeble visitors saw the midfielder charge unopposed into the box and beat Areola for a second time to cap an enjoyable night for Liverpool following the disappointment of their goalless draw with Manchester United.
Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp told Sky Sports: "Obviously, a really, really good game, a game to enjoy, with plenty of top performances. I think we were really difficult to play against tonight. We were sharp. We were spot on from the first second.
"We played really good football. I think in the first half they didn't have a shot on goal, or a set-piece. In the second half, they scored their goal and had three more set-pieces, but it was a really good performance. I'm really happy for the boys that they showed up tonight like this.
"With all these competitions we are playing and the amount of games we are playing, it's really important we use the squad. That's what we want to do. So, it's always about that and, because we have done it this season, everyone has rhythm.
"That's helpful, and the boys on the pitch tonight showed that they really wanted to play the game, win the game and qualify for the semi-finals. It was just a top performance from start to finish."
On Curtis Jones' performance, he added: "It was a joy to watch him. I'm really happy for him because the skill-set he has is immense but sometimes he forgets to speed the game up.
"Especially the second goal, it is exactly what Curtis can do. He has this speed, this tempo, and he doesn't use it often enough.
"It's what we tell him quite frequently but tonight he did it. Hopefully, that's an eye-opener for him and a possibility for me as well."
If Liverpool did not already have enough players who carry a goal threat, they now have another.
Jones claimed his first two goals of the season and they were brilliantly taken, the first finished through Areola's legs from near the touchline, the second fired in after a slaloming run.
In total, the midfielder had seven attempts on goal, relishing the space afforded to him by West Ham's woeful defence and underlining just how much he has to offer.
"Santa has come early," joked Gakpo as he gave Jones the player-of-the-match award during their post-match interview with Sky Sports. "You work really hard. Nobody sees it because it is behind closed doors, but you deserve all the best. Keep going brother."
Jones has only started one of Liverpool's last 10 Premier League games but he might just have played his way into contention for Saturday's showdown with Arsenal.
West Ham boss David Moyes told Sky Sports: "Liverpool played very well. Obviously we didn't play well enough.
"The second goal was a killer. I thought we were just beginning to grow a little bit back into the game. Not enough. But we gave them a really poor second goal which made it really hard for us to get back and get any further result.
"We didn't do particularly well in some areas for some of the goals, we could have done much better.
"We beat Arsenal before we got to this game and we probably had the hardest draw of all, coming to Anfield. We made a few changes tonight to give people opportunities, chances to show what they can do, also because of the schedule. We were up against a really strong opponent tonight, tough place to come and that's the way it proved.
"We're involved in a few trophies at the moment. We got to the quarter-final, we've got a European one we're looking forward to. We've had some really good results in the league, especially at home.
"Tonight was disappointing but overall we played against a really strong team. They were fast, competitive, positive. We found it hard at the start of the game to get a foothold in it. We got in at half time with a chance but the second goal was such a poor goal to give away.
"We've been in good form and that tells you how well Liverpool played today. But we had to give some players a rest somewhere."
Liverpool's next match is at home to Arsenal in the Premier League on Saturday Night Football, live on Sky Sports; kick-off 5.30pm.
Jurgen Klopp's side then travel to Burnley on Boxing Day; kick-off 5.30pm.
West Ham's next game is at home to Manchester United in the Premier League on Saturday; kick-off 12.30pm.
The Hammers then travel to Arsenal on Thursday December 28; kick-off 8.15pm.
