Carabao Cup holders Liverpool came from behind to thrash 10-man West Ham 5-1, setting up a fourth-round tie away against Brighton. Diogo Jota and Cody Gakpo each scored twice, leading a dominant Liverpool comeback.

West Ham took the lead in the first half when Jarell Quansah accidentally turned the ball into his own net from a West Ham corner. However, Diogo Jota quickly leveled the score with an acrobatic header from Federico Chiesa’s miskicked effort, giving Liverpool an instant reply.

Jota put the Reds ahead early in the second half with a calm finish after fine build-up play by Curtis Jones. West Ham attempted a response after Michail Antonio’s introduction, but despite two handball penalty appeals being turned down, Liverpool kept control of the game.

Mohamed Salah extended Liverpool’s lead, pouncing on a rebound after Alexis Mac Allister’s shot was saved. West Ham’s evening took a further hit when Edson Alvarez received a second yellow card for a foul on Salah, reducing them to 10 men.

Cody Gakpo then sealed West Ham’s fate, scoring two late goals to transform the result into a rout. This capped off a disappointing week for West Ham, following their 3-0 home defeat to Chelsea.

Liverpool manager Arne Slot praised his team’s quality and unity in the post-match press conference:
“For two months, you only asked me about new players, and I constantly told you how many quality players we already had. That’s what we showed again today. What pleases me the most is that the new players aren’t just focusing on individual performances; they’re working really hard for the team. There was a lot of desire not to concede.”

This victory marks Liverpool’s sixth win in seven games under their new manager, taking them into the next round of the competition, which they’ve won twice in the last three years.

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