Diogo Jota and Cody Gakpo each netted twice as Liverpool came from behind to crush West Ham 5-1 at Anfield in their Carabao Cup opener.
The holders were shocked early on when West Ham took the lead after a corner led to Wataru Endo’s clearance ricocheting off Jarell Quansah and into the net. However, Liverpool responded quickly, with Federico Chiesa setting up Jota’s header for the equaliser just four minutes later.
Jota doubled his tally early in the second half, slotting home after a brilliant pass from Curtis Jones. Moments earlier, West Ham had a penalty appeal waved away for handball against Joe Gomez, but with no VAR in use until the semi-finals, play continued.
West Ham, still reeling from their 3-0 defeat to Chelsea, pressed for an equaliser, but Max Kilman squandered a golden chance to level the game from close range. Frustration mounted for the visitors, with manager Julen Lopetegui receiving a booking for dissent.
Mohamed Salah extended Liverpool’s lead to 3-1 after Lukasz Fabianski saved an Alexis Mac Allister effort, and West Ham’s night worsened when Edson Alvarez was sent off for a second yellow card.
Substitute Cody Gakpo sealed the win with two late goals, sending West Ham out of the competition at Liverpool’s hands for the second consecutive season.
