Liverpool 5-1 West Ham: Klopp's side thrashes visiting team with Jones' brace
Game is over and the final score is Liverpool 5-1 West Ham. Here is the match report.
Curtis Jones stepped out of the shadows as Carabao Cup specialists Liverpool moved a step closer to a record 10th triumph in the competition.
Jones scored twice as some of Jurgen Klopp's bit-part players took centre-stage on a surprisingly one-sided night at Anfield in which passive West Ham were over-run.
Goals from Dominik Szoboszlai, Jones and Cody Gakpo established the 2022 winners place in the semi-finals before Jarrod Bowen's consolation after 77 minutes with the visitor's first shot on target.
Even then, Liverpool responded with substitute Mo Salah adding a fourth and Jones then running through the heart of the Hammers defence to complete a brilliant brace.
History favoured Liverpool despite Jurgen Klopp's six changes included putting Mo Salah and Trent Alexander-Arnold on the bench.
No club has lifted the League Cup trophy more times than Liverpool's nine and Hammers manager David Moyes had never won at Anfield in 20 previous visits with four different clubs.
Indeed, nobody had beaten Jurgen Klopp's side on their own turf since Real Madrid did it in the Champions League in February.
The wind had dropped on Merseyside just in time for kick off. West Ham, whose victory in the Europa League last season has given them a new taste for silverware, were happy to sit in their shape early on to see what Liverpool could throw at them.
The first answer was Harvey Elliott who advanced past a couple of challenges before a 20-yard strike had Alphonse Areola worried until it curled beyond the far post at the last moment.
Elliott was again close with an arrowed shot after Curtis Jones created space by dribbling past Edson Alvarez before setting up his
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