Liverpool have progressed to the EFL Cup semi-finals after securing a dominant 5-1 victory over West Ham United in their quarter-final tie at Anfield on Wednesday night.
A first-half rocket from Dominik Szoboszlai put the Reds in control before man-of-the-match Curtis Jones squeezed a shot in from a very tight angle to net Liverpool's 500th EFL Cup goal shortly after half time.
Cody Gakpo's ruthless finish midway through the second half put the Merseysiders three goals to the good, before Jarrod Bowen displayed his class with a brilliant strike to pull one back for the Hammers just six minutes later.
However, Liverpool put the game to bed and secured their spot in a record 19th EFL Cup semi-final when substitute Mohamed Salah got his name on the scoresheet shortly before Jones netted his second of the night to cap a five-star showing from Jurgen Klopp's side.
Liverpool made six changes to the side that were forced to play out a goalless draw with Manchester United in the Premier League last weekend, with Caoimhin Kelleher, Joe Gomez, Jarell Quansah, Harvey Elliott, Jones and Gakpo all handed starts as the likes of Salah and Trent Alexander-Arnold dropped down to the substitutes' bench.
David Moyes also made six changes to his West Ham lineup following Sunday's 3-0 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers, with Alphonse Areola, Konstantinos Mavropanos, Angelo Ogbonna, Ben Johnson, Pablo Fornals and Said Benrahma all brought into the first XI, while Lucas Paqueta – who provided three assists last time out – began as a substitute.
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Liverpool enjoyed a dominant first half and made a bright start to the contest, pressing really high which fired up the Anfield crowd and caused West Ham some early problems at the back.
Elliott, who started on the right side of attack in the place of Salah, came close to netting a ninth-minute opener when he fired a low left-footed shot from the edge of the penalty area just wide of the far post, before having another pop from range with his favoured left foot just four minutes later, this time watching his effort fly narrowly over the crossbar.
Szoboszlai then dragged a bending shot wide and slipped in the process, but he made no mistake on the 27-minute mark, receiving a pass from Quansah before arrowing a powerful right-footed shot from around 25 yards out into the bottom-left corner to put the Reds into a deserved lead.
West Ham, who failed to register a single shot on target and offered virtually nothing going forward in the first 45, were presented with a half-chance shortly after the break when Bowen raced down the left channel before attempting to pick out a bursting run from Fornals into the box towards the back post, but Kostas Tsimikas was there to clear the danger for the hosts.
Just a few minutes later, Jones put Liverpool into a two-goal lead, slotting a low strike from an extremely tight angle under the legs of Areola at his near post after the Reds midfielder was smartly played through down the left by Darwin Nunez.
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To make matters worse for West Ham, Klopp decided to bring on Alexander Arnold, Salah and Ibrahima Konate on the hour mark, with the former tasked with operating in a deep-lying midfield role while wearing the captain's armband.
Liverpool added a third 18 minutes from time when Konate surged towards West Ham's penalty box, with no Hammers players busting a gut to win back possession, and the French defender teed up Gakpo before he smashed a low right-footed shot into the bottom corner.
Bowen gave the West Ham fans something to cheer just six minutes later, though, when he shrugged off Quansah inside the area a curled a superb strike with his weaker right-footed into the far corner.
Salah somehow missed a glorious opportunity from just a few yards out after Nunez had fired a wonderful effort against the post, but the Egyptian made amends on the 83-minute mark when he ran clean through on goal and rolled a simple finish under Areola into the far corner.
Jones then capitalised on lacklustre defending from West Ham to drive into the box and tuck home a neat finish to put the cherry on the icing on top of the cake for a rampant Liverpool side.
Klopp's men will now turn their attention to Saturday's mouthwatering Premier League showdown with leaders Arsenal, while West Ham will look to dust themselves down when they welcome Man United to the London Stadium.
Oliver Thomas
