Liverpool vs Fulham LIVE: Carabao Cup result and final score as Cody Gakpo completes dramatic turnaround
Liverpool 2-1 Fulham: Two goals from Gakpo and Curtis Jones in three second-half minutes turned the tie around as the hosts came from behind at Anfield
Substitutes Cody Gakpo and Darwin Nunez came off the bench to help turn around Liverpool’s Carabao Cup semi-final first leg at home to Fulham and ensured they will take a 2-1 lead to Craven Cottage.
The pair were introduced early in the second half with the hosts trailing to Willian’s 19th-minute goal after a Virgil van Dijk error. Liverpool were struggling for creativity without the injured Trent Alexander-Arnold - who helped turn a 3-2 Fulham lead into a 4-3 Reds win in last month’s Premier League meeting - but as at Arsenal in the FA Cup at the weekend Jurgen Klopp’s changes altered the game.
Nunez added a directness which had been lacking while Gakpo brought the composure and control to midfield Ryan Gravenberch had not before he was replaced by his Netherlands team-mate. And the pair combined for Gakpo to score in the 71st minute, just three minutes after Curtis Jones’ deflected equaliser.
Liverpool will travel to Craven Cottage for the second leg on January 24. Chelsea suffered a surprise 1-0 loss at Middlesbrough in the first leg of the other semi-final on Tuesday.
Follow live updates from Liverpool vs Fulham in the Carabao Cup semi-finals, below.
GOAL! Liverpool 0-1 Fulham (WILLIAN 19’)
Fulham and Willian stun the Kop against the run of play! Van Dijk lets the ball bounce when challenging Jiminez and Willian comes alive on the corner of the box. The forward wriggles inside and past a couple of weak Liverpool challenges and fires the ball inside Kelleher’s near post!
What a moment for Fulham, who take the lead in the Carabao Cup semi-final!
Liverpool 0-0 Fulham
16 mins: CHANCE! Excellent work from Mac Allister to slide in and win the ball back from Palhinha (who is probably twice the size of him) - from there, Gravenberch helps it onto Jota and the forward tries his luck from the angle. He doesn’t get the sweetest of strikes away and it bobbles wide of Leno’s far post.
Liverpool 0-0 Fulham
13 mins: Fulham have started this game by sitting pretty deep and aren’t offering too much when they do get a chance to get onto the ball so far. That said, Marco Silva would probably snap your hand off to take a draw back to Craven Cottage.
Liverpool 0-0 Fulham
10 mins: Another half-chance for Liverpool, who are finding early gaps in the Fulham defence. This time Jota is able to run with the ball into the room on the left of the Liverpool attack but his final ball is a waste with good options in the box.
Liverpool 0-0 Fulham
8 mins: Early days, but it’s been a good start from Conor Bradley. Elliott picks him out after a fine run around the outside of Fulham’s left back Robinson - Bradley tries to pull it back but there’s no one there and Leno is able to gather the ball.
Liverpool 0-0 Fulham
6 mins: CHANCE! The first real action of the game, and it’s almost a disaster for Tosin Adarabioyo - the Fulham defender passes straight to Gravenberch and Jones has the chance to drive towards goal. Fulham back off but Jones’s shot is straight at Leno.
Liverpool 0-0 Fulham
3 mins: A low-key start at Anfield, with a few boos from the away end for Harvey Elliott, who I think left Fulham for Liverpool when he was 15?
Liverpool vs Fulham LIVE: Latest Carabao Cup semi-final updates
As a reminder, there’s no VAR tonight. Here’s why:
Is Liverpool vs Fulham on TV tonight? Kick-off time, channel and how to watch
A place at Wembley is up for grabs and Anfield hosts the first leg of the semis
Liverpool vs Fulham LIVE: Latest Carabao Cup semi-final updates
Jurgen Klopp on Conor Bradley: “A top boy. We knew we wanted to use him. Of course we trust him. I like the team and we know what’s at stake. We know what it means to Fulham, so we have to be sure what know what it means for us as well.
“We played recently against Fulham and it was a wild one. It’s a tough one.”
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