Liverpool welcomed Fulham at Anfield earlier tonight as they looked to secure a positive result in the first leg of their EFL Cup semi-final tie. The Reds made a poor start to the game and conceded the opening goal in the 19th minute when Willian scored with a good finish. Jurgen Klopp‘s men went into the half-time break 1-0 down on the scoreline.
Curtis Jones finally equalised for Liverpool with a deflected effort in the 68th minute before Cody Gakpo completed the turnaround with a great finish just three minutes later. The contest ended with the Merseyside club earning a hard-fought 2-1 win at home.
Let’s take a look at how each Liverpool player performed during the match against the Cottagers.
GK: Caoimhin Kelleher – 6.5/10
Kelleher made a few solid saves at the back but couldn’t do much about Willian’s opening goal.
RB: Conor Bradley – 7.5/10
He gave a good account of himself on the defensive end of the field and was a threat in the Fulham half as well.
CB: Ibrahima Konate – 6.5/10
Konate cleared the danger when he could and won a couple of aerial duels.
CB: Virgil Van Dijk – 6.5/10
His performance was far from convincing in the first half. However, Van Dijk came back and produced a solid display in the second.
LB: Joe Gomez – 7/10
He performed his defensive duties well and made one key chance in the final third.
CM: Ryan Gravenberch – 6/10
Gravenberch was full of energy and running at the centre of the park but failed to make a difference in front of goal. He was replaced in the 55th minute.
CM: Alexis Mac Allister – 7/10
He got stuck in with some crunching tackles and was lively on the ball as well.
CM: Curtis Jones – 8/10
Jones was a constant menace in the final third and got his deserved goal in the 68th minute with a deflected effort.
RW: Harvey Elliott – 6.5/10
He made two good runs with the ball but lacked quality in front of the Fulham goal.
ST: Diogo Jota – 6.5/10
Jota was not shy of having a strike at goal but failed to take his chances.
LW: Luis Diaz – 6.5/10
He kept the ball moving with ease out on the left flank but never looked like he would score.
Substitutes:
RW: Cody Gakpo – 7.5/10
Gakpo made an instant impact off the bench and gave Liverpool the lead with a fine finish in the 71st minute.
ST: Darwin Nunez – 7.5/10
He caused all sorts of chaos in and around the Fulham penalty box and has got a couple of assists to show for his efforts.
