Jota and Gakpo double up as Liverpool come from behind to rout West Ham

The faces in the technical area and out on the pitch may have changed but the story remains the same for Liverpool and West Ham in the Carabao Cup. For the second season in succession Liverpool routed the Hammers 5-1 at Anfield to advance in the competition that meant so much to Jürgen Klopp seven months ago. There was no sign of the promised improvement from Julen Lopetegui’s team.

For Arne Slot, however, it was another hugely encouraging display as Liverpool eased into round four with plenty to spare. His team recovered from a Jarell Quansah own goal to dismantle West Ham with a brace from both Diogo Jota and Cody Gakpo, plus a solitary strike from substitute Mohamed Salah. Edson Álvarez’s deserved red card capped a miserable night in the north for West Ham.

The sluggish start to Lopetegui’s reign was not the only thing troubling West Ham’s sizeable support at Anfield. For the opening minutes of the third round tie they paraded a banner that read ‘Stop exploiting loyalty’ in protest at rising ticket prices and the removal of some concessions at their club. Liverpool fans also joined the protest when it was staged outside the stadium before kick off. A promising, productive spell midway through the first half helped lift the visiting mood, if only temporarily.

A Liverpool team featuring nine changes from Saturday’s Premier League win over Bournemouth, and including a full debut for recent signing Federico Chiesa, started brightly. Darwin Núñez was a constant menace to the West Ham defence, frequently regaining possession and giving his opponents zero time on the ball. The hosts’ efforts yielded few opportunities, however. West Ham, by contrast, threatened as soon as they settled into the contest.

Jean-Clair Todibo should have done better than to head well wide when connecting with Aaron Cresswell’s free-kick. Moments later captain Jarrod Bowen embarked on a determined run down the right before releasing Crysencio Summerville in acres of space on the left. The summer signing’s heavy first touch appeared to have wasted the chance but it rebounded into the path of Danny Ings, who converted through the legs of Caoimhín Kelleher. The former Liverpool striker was both unmarked and offside, although the West Ham celebrations were not curtailed for long.

The breakthrough was an absolute mess from Slot’s perspective. Todibo headed a Bowen corner on to Álvarez, who struggled to get the ball from under his feet and was thwarted by Conor Bradley’s tackle when he eventually did. Wataru Endo attempted to complete the clearance but succeeded in slamming the ball against Quansah and in off the unfortunate defender.

Cody Gakpo completes the scoring with Liverpool’s fifth. Photograph: Peter Byrne/PA

West Ham’s joy lasted all of four minutes. Liverpool levelled courtesy of a flowing move plus Jota’s sharp reactions. The Portugal international pierced the visiting defence with a first time pass that released Gakpo down the left wing. Gakpo’s delicate cross found Chiesa, who swept an acrobatic volley into the ground towards Lukasz Fabianski. Before the West Ham keeper or Max Kilman could intervene Jota, darting in front of the pair as soon as the ball left the Italy international’s foot, equalised with a brave, close-range header.

Jota tormented West Ham once again when Liverpool took the lead shortly after the restart, and minutes after Quansah had survived strong appeals by the visitors for handball inside his own penalty area. There would be more when Bowen’s cross struck Kostas Tsimikas. Referee Andy Madley was again unmoved, correctly as it turned out, and booked Lopetegui for his protestations. Replays showed the ball striking the left back in the stomach.

Liverpool’s lead owed much to the determination and vision of Curtis Jones. The midfielder created the goal first with a strong, surging run from deep inside his own half and then, having exchanged passes with Gakpo, by threading a perfectly weighted ball into Jota’s path inside the box. The striker showed his usual pinpoint accuracy in front of goal and found Fabianski’s bottom left hand corner.

West Ham threatened briefly to recover but sorely lacked a player with the predatory instincts of Liverpool’s No 20. Kilman was presented with a great chance to level after Kelleher blocked impressively from substitute Michail Antonio. The defender laboured too long over the rebound and allowed the Liverpool defence to crowd him out. Carlos Soler could also have restored parity but skied a volley high into the Anfield Road stand from 12 yards. Their night deteriorated swiftly thereafter.

Mohamed Salah, Chiesa’s second-half replacement, put the tie beyond West Ham with an emphatic finish. Fabianski saved from another Liverpool substitute, Alexis Mac Allister, after Salah had released Bradley to the byline and the right back had pulled the ball back for the Argentina midfielder. The rebound fell perfectly for Salah to crash an unstoppable shot into the roof of the net. Salah was then left in a heap by Alvarez’s late foul. It was the West Ham midfielder’s second bookable offence and he could have no complaints when the inevitable red card was shown.

There was still time for Gakpo to heighten West Ham’s misery with a late fourth, swept into the bottom corner after a neat exchange with Núñez, and a fifth with another low drive that deflected beyond the exposed Fabianski. The holders move on.