After the stalemate, the slaughter. Liverpool channelled the frustration of being held by Manchester United into an emphatic destruction of West Ham to book their place in the League Cup semi-finals for a record 19th time. David Moyes’s team were abysmal, and the 6,000-strong travelling support let them know it, but the truth is West Ham were pounded into submission.
Dominik Szoboszlai’s spectacular opener was in keeping with a superb Liverpool performance in which Curtis Jones excelled with two goals, Mohamed Salah came off the bench to take his usual place on the scoresheet and Cody Gakpo also breached Alphonse Areola’s nonexistent defence.
Moyes has been to Anfield 21 times as a manager and has yet to win a game. Throughout the difficult quarter-final match, it seemed highly unlikely that this unfortunate record would change.
The manager of West Ham asked for a change in perspective as they rotated their players to handle the fastest turnaround in the Premier League. They will be playing against Manchester United at 12:30pm on Saturday and have a busy schedule ahead. However, both the manager and fans of West Ham were disappointed with the lack of fight and dedication shown during their game at Anfield.
Moyes pointed out that in the past three years, only Liverpool and Manchester City have played more matches than our team. He also mentioned our recent record of winning seven out of nine games, which he deemed as an exceptional achievement. However, he questioned what the expectations for West Ham should be. Can we realistically expect to win a European trophy or compete in the Champions League? These are the facts and we are currently performing well considering our circumstances.
Klopp expressed concerns about the lack of atmosphere in the Main Stand and also addressed the recent performance of Darwin Núñez. However, he did mention that overall, the game was enjoyable from beginning to end.
Liverpool had a clear goal to make West Ham’s night a dreadful one from the very beginning. Despite some illness among the visiting team, which limited Moyes’ choices, the West Ham players who were able to start must have felt unsettled by the overwhelming presence of red-clad Liverpool players surrounding them.
The level of Liverpool’s counter-press was impressive. Although they displayed a similar level of intensity against Manchester United, their efforts were not fruitful due to a lack of precision in their final passes or decisions. Despite making six substitutions from their previous goalless match on Sunday, Liverpool showed more control and calmness in their offensive tactics against West Ham. Moyes’ team had no escape from the relentless attack.
The inevitable breakthrough arrived in style when the highly impressive Jarell Quansah took the ball off Saïd Benrahma and found Szoboszlai in space on the right. The Hungary captain swept an unstoppable long-range shot into Areola’s far corner.
Klopp believes that Liverpool’s fans could have shown more support for their team, as he gestured to the crowd behind him to make more noise. The manager expressed satisfaction with the team’s performance during a difficult time, and they will now face Fulham in the semi-finals.
“I was dissatisfied with the energy behind me. I thought to myself, ‘What is it that you’re after?’ We made significant changes to the team and we had control over West Ham. If I had been a spectator, I would have been on edge. Was everyone feeling down because we didn’t completely defeat Manchester United? It wasn’t necessarily negative, but it lacked the enthusiasm I experienced. There were numerous standout performances and moments to applaud.”
Klopp emphasized the importance of the home crowd being loud and supportive during the upcoming match against Arsenal. He urged fans to pack Anfield stadium on Saturday, as Arsenal had a break from playing this week and will be well-prepared for the game. Klopp also urged fans to be engaged and energized from the very beginning of the match, acknowledging that December can be a busy month for football and suggesting that if fans are not feeling their best, they should consider giving their ticket to someone who will fully support the team.
Certain supporters of West Ham expressed their displeasure through boos at the end of the first half. If their discontent was directed towards their team’s lack of effort in attacking, then it is justified. However, the superior performance of Liverpool was the primary factor in limiting West Ham’s effectiveness.
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Moyes stated that the second goal, which was crucial, was scored early in the second half. Jones initiated and completed the play by skillfully turning in the midfield and passing to Núñez before swiftly moving into the penalty area. Núñez, who had been a constant threat throughout the game, perfectly timed his pass to Jones’s run. Ogbonna, who was the defender covering the play, stopped his run in order to prevent a potential cross from Jones. He looked shocked at Areola and remained that way for a while as Jones smoothly placed the ball through the goalkeeper’s legs and into the far corner.
Moyes’s team took 71 minutes to finally get a shot at Caoimhín Kelleher’s goal. However, Mohammed Kudus’s shot was not powerful enough and ended up going over the Liverpool goalkeeper’s crossbar.
Liverpool’s third encapsulated the lack of desire and aggression in West Ham’s second‑half performance. Ibrahima Konaté, on as a substitute, drifted upfield and barely met a challenge worthy of the name as he advanced into the visitors’ half and found Gakpo. The Netherlands international drove into the bottom corner from 20 yards out as defenders backed off.
Jarrod Bowen scored a goal for his team by quickly running onto Johnson’s pass over the defenders and skillfully beating Kelleher with a shot after making a move past Quansah. However, this only spurred Liverpool to increase their level of play and dominate the match.
Two replacements, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Salah, worked together excellently for the fourth goal. Alexander-Arnold made a perfect first-time pass from the defensive position to send the ball to Salah, who calmly scored past Areola.
Jones delivered the finishing blow in the last moments of the game by sprinting past a line of weak tackles and scoring in the far corner.
Source: theguardian.com
