Liverpool 5-1 West Ham: Player ratings as Jota and Gakpo see off 10-man Hammers
Liverpool secured passage to the fourth round of the Carabao Cup as they thrashed tenman West Ham United 5-1 at Anfield.
A Jarell Quansah own goal had seen the visitors lead early doors, but the game was turned on its head by Diogo Jota goals either side of half-time.
Mohamed Salah then essentially settled the game, before Edson Alvarez was sent off and Cody Gakpo added gloss to the scoreline with a late double.
How the game unfolded
West Ham punctured a cagey start to proceedings when Danny Ings swept home from close range only for the linesman’s flag to indicate that he had strayed offside.
But the visitors were soon ahead regardless, with Wataru Endo’s clearance cannoning in off the legs of an unfortunate Quansah. However, the Hammers‘ threat largely evaporated from there, with Liverpool signalling their threat as Quansah headed over from a corner.
The Reds then levelled things up, Jota nodding in after a Federico Chiesa bicycle kick had fortuitously bounced into his path.
Liverpool began to dominate after that boost, but struggled to muster many clear-cut chances beyond a left-footed Cody Gakpo strike that was deflected wide of the post.
It did not take long for them to show more cutting edge in the second period, though, with Curtis Jones dribbling and then producing a precise through ball for Jota to confidently pass home inside the box. And Jones almost had a goal for himself just past the hour-mark, forcing a fine save from Lukasz Fabianski with a poked effort after running in behind.
But West Ham had little to lose as the game progressed and so began throwing bodies forward in an attempt save the tie. One such moment led to Michail Antonio forcing a smart save from Caoimhin Kelleher before the Irishman did well to stop Max Kilman on the follow-up.
However, the game was all but settled when a tidy Liverpool move saw Salah smash a rebound into the roof of the net at the Kop end. And any doubts that the hosts would see things out were effectively ended when Alvarez was shown a second yellow card for a petulant foul on Salah.
That left Gakpo to wrap things up by cutting in off the left to smash one past the despairing dive of Lukasz Fabianski. And he repeated the trick heading into added time, although this time with the help of a sizeable deflection.
GK: Caoimhin Kelleher – 7/10 – Had no chance with the goal but made some great stops in the second half to ensure Liverpool kept their noses in front.
RB: Conor Bradley – 7/10 – Combative and creative, he played a key role in the Salah goal that wrapped up the game, though he also nearly gave one away late on.
CB: Joe Gomez – 7/10 – Took a more proactive approach to his defending in the second period and was all the better for it.
CB: Jarell Quansah 6/10 – Would probably place the blame for his own goal at Endo’s door. Was otherwise solid and spayed the ball wide well.
LB: Kostas Tsimikas – 6/10 – Didn’t always find it easy up against the dangerous Jarrod Bowen but stuck to his task well enough.
RM: Federico Chiesa – 6/10 – A largely peripheral figure on his first start but provided a spectacular bicycle kick assist.
DM: Curtis Jones – 7/10 – Seemed to have been told to speed things up in the second half and duly produced a more urgent performance that improved Liverpool.
DM: Wataru Endo – 7/10 – At times, you could see the limitations that have resulted him not being favoured by Arne Slot, but this was a tenacious showing that deserves credit.
LM: Cody Gakpo – 9/10 – Rarely gave the ball away and was a helpful outlet for Liverpool as they looked to stretch West Ham’s defence. Took his deserved brace brilliantly.
CF: Diogo Jota – 9/10 – Finished his opportunities with typical class and showed plenty of lovely touches in build-up play.
CF: Darwin Nunez – 5/10 – Failed to follow up a strong showing against Bournemouth as he struggled to get into the game.
Substitutes
SUB: Mohamed Salah (59 for Chiesa) – 7/10
SUB: Alexis Mac Allister (59 for Jota) – 7/10
SUB: Andy Robertson (82 for Tsimikas) – 6/10
SUB: Tyler Morton (82 for Endo) – 6/10
Subs not used: Vitezslav Jaros, Virgil van Dijk, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Luis Diaz, Dominik Szoboszlai.
Manager
Arne Slot – 8/10 – Shuffled his pack but got the result and the performance he wanted in his first foray into the Carabao Cup.
GK: Lukasz Fabianski – 5/10 – Was not exactly to blame for the goals he conceded but that a couple were from long range will irk him.
RB: Vladimir Coufal – 5/10 – Dealt fairly well with Gakpo up until the late stages and was regularly involved in West Ham’s good counterattacking moments.
CB: Max Kilman – 5/10 – Somehow beaten to a header by the diminutive Jota for the equaliser and later missed a brilliant chance to level things with a heavy touch in the Liverpool box.
CB: Jean-Clair Todibo – 6/10 – Looked quite strong in his individual battles and almost opened the scoring with a diving header at the Kop end.
LB: Aaron Cresswell – 6/10 – Put in some decent crosses but Liverpool had plenty of joy down his side of the pitch.
DM: Tomas Soucek – 5/10 – Did not do enough to protect West Ham’s defence and was ineffective in possession.
DM: Edson Alvarez – 3/10 – Given the run around in midfield all evening before earning a second yellow card for a needless dive in on Salah.
AM: Carlos Soler – 7/10 – Won his battles in the middle and got a couple of dangerous shots away after getting up to support the attack. A solid performance.
RW: Jarrod Bowen – 7/10 – Gave Liverpool plenty of problems and helped West Ham up the pitch on numerous occasions, particularly during their late push to salvage the tie.
CF: Danny Ings – 5/10 – After scoring an offside goal early doors, he could not influence the game.
LW: Crysencio Summerville – 7/10 – Looked like West Ham’s most dangerous player when he got the ball but did not see it enough.
Substitutes
SUB: Lucas Paqueta (59 for Soucek) – 6/10
SUB: Michail Antonio (60 for Ings) – 7/10
SUB: Mohammed Kudus (78 for Bowen ) – 6/10
SUB: Andy Irving (78 for Soler) – 6/10
Subs not used: Wes Foderingham, Konstantinos Mavropanos, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Emerson Palmieri.
Manager
Julen Lopetegui – 4/10 – Named a strong line-up in an attempt to turn West Ham’s fortunes around but instead took a heavy defeat that will further dent confidence.