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Eric Garcia
Washington Bureau Chief
Liverpool lifted the League Cup last season at Wembley for a record tenth win; on Wednesday night their defence of the trophy began with a thumping 5-1 win over West Ham United.
The Reds will hope to go the distance in the Carabao Cup once more, but the big change from last term is Arne Slot being in the dugout after replacing Jurgen Klopp. There was no change in scoreline though; the Reds beat the Hammers 5-1 in this competition last season and did so again in the third round this time, Diogo Jota and Cody Gakpo both scoring twice in an emphatic victory.
Those goals, plus one from sub Mohamed Salah, all came after the Hammers took the lead through an own goal by Jarell Quansah. West Ham were outplayed and outfought, though, and Edinson Alvarez was sent-off to remove any hope of a comeback.
Follow live updates from the match below, with the fourth-round draw set to follow at full-time:
Arne Slot goes on the attack to show how Liverpool can remain Carabao Cup kings
Last season, Jurgen Klopp described Diogo Jota as the best finisher at Anfield. If Arne Slot is yet to bestow such a compliment – and, more modest in his rhetoric, his praise of anyone so far has tended to be measured – he has installed the Portuguese as his first-choice No 9, a role he only had intermittently under the German. If Slot looked justified after the biggest win of his brief reign, this was a night when Klopp felt vindicated, too.
Jota’s first double since January displayed his predatory instincts, elusive movement and capacity to make scoring look simple. As Liverpool came from behind to beat West Ham United, the catalyst was the one member of Slot’s first-choice team to start. Jota may have felt the outsider in a second-string side but he served as their rescuer after Jarell Quansah, continuing his inauspicious start to life under Slot, accidentally put the Hammers ahead.
Chris Wilson25 September 2024 22:30
Pep Guardiola believes the Carabao Cup is a ‘waste of energy’ — and he’s right
The most successful manager in the League Cup’s history produced a damning admission. Manchester City will not waste their energy on the next round. Not, it should be said, out of choice. Pep Guardiola has won the League Cup four times, putting him in the company of Brian Clough, Sir Alex Ferguson and Jose Mourinho, due to an attitude that has reflects an insatiable desire to win, but also his determination to take it seriously.
Their four consecutive League Cup wins suggested it was a trophy worth winning, with a willingness to hoover up the lesser prizes has reduced the opportunities for anyone else to claim any silverware. Guardiola could rotate, but usually with the sense he would find a strong enough side to advance.
And now there has been a shift in approach. “The next round, I announce to you now, I play the second team,” Guardiola said. “We are not going to waste energy on this competition, for sure.”
Chris Wilson25 September 2024 23:00
FT: Liverpool 5-1 West Ham
Lopetegui looks understandably disappointed as he speaks to Sky.
“We don’t deserve this score because we did a lot of good things,” he said.
“We made a very good first half. They scored an offside goal. We suffered the first goal.
“After we had 10 players they scored more goals. The last 20 minutes we didn’t manage well. The players made a big effort. We were in the match until this moment despite the referee’s decision and a very clear chance we had.
“I’m sorry for our fans.”
On Edson Alvarez’s red card, he says that a “second yellow card can happen”, though he adds that it should have been a chance for his side to show some character.
“I’m very proud of the players who played until 60 minutes,” he adds.
Chris Wilson25 September 2024 22:40
FT: Liverpool 5-1 West Ham
Arne Slot was the first manager to speak to Sky Sports.
He said: “If you’re facing a team like West Ham, who have a lot of quality, they can press you. Second half they were also threatening on set-pieces.
“Since I’ve been here it’s never been easy, although sometimes the result looks different, but probably that’s the Premier League. Every team has quality players.
“I do feel like in most parts of the game we had control. We had a large part of ball possession, particularly in the first half.”
He adds that Cody Gakpo deserved his goal, “like others deserved it as well”.
On the competition within the squad, he said: “I’ve never worked with a group of players who don’t want to play. Everywhere is the same, players like to play, especially to be part of a winning group.”
Chris Wilson25 September 2024 22:34
Carabao Cup draw
Here’s the draw in full, with Tottenham v Manchester City as the pick of the games.
Tottenham Hotspur v Manchester City
AFC Wimbledon/Newcastle v Chelsea
Aston Villa v Crystal Palace
Preston North End v Arsenal
Manchester United v Leicester City
Brentford v Sheffield Wednesday
Ties will take place in the week commencing 28 October.
Chris Wilson25 September 2024 22:26
Chris Wilson25 September 2024 22:23
