Diogo Jota and Cody Gakpo Lead Liverpool's Cup Victory

Diogo Jota and Cody Gakpo each scored twice as Liverpool launched their Carabao Cup defense with a resounding comeback victory over West Ham at Anfield. The match started dramatically with West Ham surprising the holders by taking an early lead. An attempted clearance by Wataru Endo deflected off teammate Jarell Quansah and rolled into the net.

However, Liverpool responded quickly equalizing just four minutes later. Federico Chiesa making his first start for the Reds assisted Diogo Jota, whose header leveled the score following Chiesa’s acrobatic volley. Jota then added a second goal early in the second half with a composed finish set up by a delightful pass from Curtis Jones. West Ham had a penalty appeal rejected when the ball appeared to strike Joe Gomez’s arm in the box.

VAR was unavailable to review the decision until the semi-finals. West Ham’s struggles continued under manager Julen Lopetegui, who revealed he injured his calf in frustration during the match. The night grew more challenging for West Ham when they failed to convert a golden opportunity to equalize as Max Kilman missed a close-range chance.

Shortly after, Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah made it 3-1 and Edson Alvarez was sent off for a second yellow card. Gakpo compounded West Ham’s woes by scoring the fourth and fifth goals late in the game, eliminating the Hammers from the competition for the second consecutive year. Liverpool’s victory marked their first match in the Carabao Cup since beating Chelsea in the final last February.

Under new manager Arne Slot, Liverpool has found success, winning six of their seven league and cup matches. They will face Brighton in the fourth round during the week of October 28.