Massacre after stalemate. Liverpool parlayed the disappointment of being retained by Manchester United into an emphatic defeat at the hands of West Ham to book their place in the League Cup semi-finals for a record-breaking 19th time. David Moyes’ team were in terrible shape and their 6,000-strong traveling support showed them that, but the reality was that West Ham had been forced to capitulate.
Dominik Szoboszlai’s superb opener matched a superb Liverpool performance in which Curtis Jones scored twice, Mohamed Salah came off the bench to take his usual place on the scoresheet and Cody Gakpo broke through Alphonse Areola’s non-existent defence.
Moyes visited Anfield 21 times as manager and failed to win. At no point in a tight quarter-final was this sad statistic likely to continue.
Middlesbrough – Chelsea
Liverpool – Fulham
First match: Week starting January 8
Second match: week starting January 22
The teams with a draw in the first match will play the first match at home.
The West Ham manager pleaded for perspective, with “the quickest turnaround of any team in the Premier League” (they host Manchester United at 12.30pm on Saturday) and rotation to cope with a tough schedule. But he and the West Ham fans had every right to expect more fight and commitment at Anfield.
“Only Liverpool and Manchester City have played more games than us in the last three years,” Moyes said. “We won seven of our last nine games. We went through an incredible process. What would West Ham’s expectations be? Do you expect us to win the European cup? Do you expect us to be tough in the Champions League? These are the facts. “We’re doing well for what we’re doing.”
Klopp’s only complaints were the lack of atmosphere in the Main Stand and criticism of Darwin Núñez’s recent form. Otherwise, as he puts it: “Tonight was one of those nights you could enjoy from start to finish.”
From kick-off Liverpool were intent on making the night a terrifying experience for West Ham. There was an illness in the visiting camp that deprived Moyes of many options, but the West Ham players ready to start must have felt sick at the constant blur of red jerseys floating around them.
The intensity of Liverpool’s counter-pressing was remarkable. Klopp’s team started with a similar energy against Manchester United, but could not capitalize on it due to the last ball or poor decision. Despite six changes being made in Sunday’s goalless draw, there was more composure and patience in Liverpool’s attacking play against the Hammers and there was no way out for Moyes’ team.
The inevitable breakthrough came when the hugely impressive Jarell Quansah collected the ball from Saïd Benrahma and found Szoboszlai in space on the right. The Hungary captain fired an unstoppable long-range shot into Areola’s far corner.
Liverpool’s monumental efforts deserved more support from their fans, according to Klopp, who signaled the crowd behind him to turn up the volume. The manager, whose team will play Fulham in the semi-finals, said: “It’s a really difficult period and I’m happy we were able to perform like we did.”
“I wasn’t very happy with the atmosphere behind me. I said: ‘What do you want?’ “We changed the team a lot and dominated West Ham. If I was in the crowd I would have stood on my toes. Was everyone demoralized because we couldn’t beat Manchester United? It wasn’t negativity, it wasn’t just the excitement I felt. There were so many performances and challenges to celebrate.”
Klopp stressed that home fans must raise their voices against Arsenal this weekend. “We need Anfield on Saturday. Arsenal haven’t played this week. They’ve prepared for this game… so we need Anfield to be on their toes from the first second. If there’s a lot of football in December, if you’re not in form, give your ticket to someone else.”
Some West Ham fans booed when the half-time whistle blew. That would have been enough if they were complaining about their team’s complete lack of attacking effort, but the main reason West Ham were ruled out was Liverpool’s dominant display.
The “killer” second goal, according to Moyes, came early in the second half. Jones started and finished the move, turning well in midfield and finding Núñez before diving into the area. The Uruguayan striker, who posed an effective threat throughout the night, caught the midfielder’s run perfectly. Angelo Ogbonna was at fullback but stopped Jones’ run to block his anticipated cross. He stared at Areola in horror and stood there for a long moment as Jones curled a shot between the goalkeeper’s legs and into the far corner.
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It took 71 minutes for Moyes’ team to score their first shot, heading home Caoimhín Kelleher. Muhammed Kudus’s tame effort was not worth the wait as it deflected over the Liverpool goalkeeper’s crossbar.
Liverpool’s third summed up the lack of desire and aggression in West Ham’s second-half performance. Ibrahima Konaté drifted upfield as a substitute and barely faced a challenge worthy of his name as the visitors advanced into the area and found Gakpo. The Dutch international powered his way into the bottom corner from 20 yards out as defenders retreated.
Jarrod Bowen pulled one back as he raced onto Johnson’s ball and beat Kelleher with a fine finish, cutting inside Quansah. But this was a sign that Liverpool had moved into disparagement mode.
The two substitutes Trent Alexander-Arnold and Salah formed a great combination for fourth place. Alexander-Arnold made a superb first-time pass from the defense, freeing the striker and Salah curled a superb finish past Areola.
Jones implemented final blow In the final moments, leaving a procession of half-hearted interventions behind and finding the far corner.