Liverpool entertained West Ham United at Anfield earlier tonight as they hoped to earn a victory at home in the quarterfinal stage of the EFL Cup. The Reds made a good start to the game and got their noses ahead in the 28th minute when Dominik Szoboszlai scored with a brilliant strike from long range. The Merseyside club went into the half-time break 1-0 up on the scoreline.
Curtis Jones made it 2-0 to Liverpool in the 56th minute. Cody Gakpo killed the game off in the 71st minute with a decent strike. However, Jarrod Bowen got a goal back for the visitors soon after. Mohamed Salah put his team 4-1 ahead with a good finish in the 82nd minute before Jones scored again with an excellent run and finish just two minutes later. The contest finished with Jurgen Klopp‘s men securing a dominant 5-1 win in front of their home fans.
Let’s take a look at how each Liverpool player fared during the clash against the Hammers.
GK: Caoimhin Kelleher – 6/10
Kelleher didn’t have a save to make in the game but will be disappointed after conceding a goal in the 77th minute.
RB: Joe Gomez – 7/10
He got stuck in with some solid tackles and was a threat going forward.
CB: Jarell Quansah – 6.5/10
Quansah defended his penalty box well for most of the game but should have done better to prevent Bowen’s goal. However, he deserves a ton of credit for setting up Szoboszlai’s opener.
CB: Virgil Van Dijk – 7/10
He hardly put a foot wrong in the game and was tidy with his passing.
LB: Kostas Tsimikas – 7/10
Tsimikas earned the ball back once and made some decent runs on the left flank.
CM: Dominik Szoboszlai – 8/10
The Hungarian talent opened the goal-scoring with a stunning strike in the first half. He got replaced in the 59th minute.
CM: Wataru Endo – 7/10
He made a few excellent chances for his teammates and produced a dominant performance at the centre of the park.
CM: Curtis Jones – 9/10
Jones was a constant menace in the final third and scored two fine goals in the second half to seal the win for his team.
RW: Harvey Elliott – 8/10
Elliott caused all sorts of headaches for the opposition defenders but did everything but score tonight.
ST: Cody Gakpo – 7.5/10
He came alive in and around the West Ham penalty box and got his deserved goal in the second half.
LW: Darwin Nunez – 8.5/10
Nunez was a real threat on the left flank and has got an assist to show for his efforts.
Substitutes:
RW: Mohamed Salah – 7/10
He missed a sitter but scored soon after.
CB: Ibrahima Konate – 6.5/10
Konate came off the bench and bagged an assist.
CM: Trent Alexander-Arnold – 7.5/10
He made a few decent chances in the final third and has got a couple of assists to his name.
RB: Conor Bradley – 6.5/10
Bradley got some valuable minutes under his belt.
LW: Luis Diaz – 6/10
His impact on the game was minimal.
