Liverpool vs West Ham LIVE: Carabao Cup quarter-final team news ...
Liverpool host West Ham in a bid to reach the Carabao Cup semi-finals at Anfield on Wednesday.
On Sunday, the Reds were held to a disappointing goalless draw at the hands of rivals Manchester United, in a disjointed performance that they will want to put behind them against West Ham. The Hammers on the other hand have recovered from their 5-0 hammering at Fulham earlier in the month to win two successive matches, in the Europa League and against Wolves in the Premier League on Sunday.
Liverpool last lifted the Carabao Cup in 2022 when they beat Chelsea in a penalty shoot-out at Wembley to lift the trophy for the ninth time, more than any other team in the history of the League Cup. West Ham ended their trophy drought by winning the Europa Conference League last season and David Moyes’ side are developing a taste for silverware in the cups
Follow all the live updates from Anfield in the blog below and get the latest odds and tips here.
Liverpool take on West Ham in a bid to reach the Carabao Cup semi-finalsLiverpool host West Ham in the Carabao Cup quarter-finals with kick off at 8pm
Chelsea, Fulham and Middlesbrough are already through to the semi-finals
Carabao Cup semi-final draw to take place after match at Anfield
Liverpool XI: Kelleher; Gomez, Quansah, Van Dijk, Tsimikas; Szoboszlai, Endo, Jones; Elliott, Nunez, Gakpo
West Ham XI: Areola; Coufal, Ogbonna, Mavropanos, Johnson; Alvarez, Soucek, Fornals; Kudus, Benrahma, Bowen
Salah, Alexander-Arnold and Diaz drop to the bench for hosts; Paqueta and Ward-Prowse are subs for visitors
Liverpool FC - West Ham United FC
Liverpool vs West Ham19:30 , Mike Jones
Liverpool have lost only one of the last 55 home clashes in all games at Anfield since September 1963. In that sequence they have won 40.
West Ham, meanwhile, have only won twice at Anfield in the last 61 years with their latest victory here coming in 2015.
Liverpool vs West Ham19:25 , Mike Jones
Jurgen Klopp’s team have won each of the last seven home meetings between the sides in all competitions; the club record is nine games, set from 1967 to 1973.
The Hammers are one of only three teams to have lost both League Cup and FA Cup finals to Liverpool, with Everton and Chelsea being the others.
The Carabao Cup is worth fighting for – just ask Chelsea and Newcastle19:20 , Mike Jones
It might not be the most glamorous of trophies, nor the one held in the highest regard, but the way Chelsea and Newcastle battled to remain in the Carabao Cup, showcased all the qualities of traditional cup football.
A single Callum Wilson goal gave Newcastle the lead and looked to have been enough to book them a place in the semi-finals for a second successive year, but cup football is never quite so straightforward. Chelsea found an equaliser in stoppage time when Mykhailo Mudryk capitalised on yet another Kieran Trippier error to take the game to penalties.
Unfortunately for the England international, he also missed in the penalty shootout along with Matt Ritchie, while Chelsea were flawless from the spot, booking their place in the semi-finals.
The Carabao Cup is worth fighting for – just ask Chelsea and Newcastle
Liverpool vs West Ham19:15 , Mike Jones
Liverpool have won both of the previous League Cup meetings between the sides at Anfield, with the last being a 2-1 victory in the fifth round back in January 1983.
Their first ever League Cup triumph came against West Ham in 1981, when they won 2-1 in a replay at Villa Park following a 1-1 draw at Wembley.
Liverpool vs West Ham19:10 , Mike Jones
The last meeting between the two teams also came at Anfield. The Hammers came to Merseyside for a Premier League match back in September but things didn’t go too well.
Mohamed Salah’s first half penalty was cancelled out before the break by Jarrod Bowen but the Reds went to town in the second half.
They controlled possession and had double the shots West Ham created. Darwin Nunez and Diogo Jota both scored and Liverpool ran out 3-1 winners.
What will the result be tonight?
West Ham team changes19:09 , Mike Jones
David Moyes also makes plenty of changes to his West Ham side. Alphonse Areola slots back into goal with Angelo Ogbonna, Konstantinos Mavropanos and Ben Johnson joing Vladimir Coufal in defence.
The midfield sees Edson Alvarez, Tomas Soucek and Mohammed Kudus keep their spots but James Ward-Prowse and Lucas Paqueta are rested in favour of Pablo Fornals and Said Benrahma.
Liverpool team changes19:06 , Mike Jones
Jurgen Klopp makes six changes to the Liverpool team that drew 0-0 with Manchester United last time out.
Caoimhin Kelleher replaces Alisson Becker in goal while Joe Gomez and Jarell Quansah start in defence in place of Trent Alexander-Arnold and Ibrahima Konate.
Elsewhere, Ryan Gravenberch, Mo Salah and Luis Diaz drop out to be replaced with Curtis Jones, Harvey Elliott and Cody Gakpo.
Liverpool vs West Ham line-ups19:02 , Mike Jones
Liverpool XI: Kelleher; Gomez, Quansah, Van Dijk, Tsimikas; Szoboszlai, Endo, Jones; Elliott, Nunez, Gakpo
West Ham XI: Areola; Coufal, Ogbonna, Mavropanos, Johnson; Alvarez, Soucek, Fornals; Kudos, Benrahma, Bowen
Pep Lijnders on playing West Ham18:55 , Mike Jones
As part of his pre-match press conference, Liverpool’s assistant coach spoke about West Ham’s strengths and what he is expecting from tonight’s match.
“It is like this, you need to earn the right to progress, and West Ham are a team who beat Arsenal, who are already in the knockout stages of the Europa League – the same as us.” he said,
“I feel they are more collective with Kudus, Bowen and Paqueta up top. They have a lot of technique there, really class.
“They can create from deep, they can create high, individual qualities are good and they still can mix it up, long balls to Soucek and then really compete from there. The right side [has] real combinations with Kudus coming inside – they are good at that.
“And what I feel, they are more aggressive than they were before, so big compliment to the coach, of course, because he’s doing a really good job I think, because they are more aggressive as well in their pressing.
“When they feel good in games, they go higher and with more aggression. So, we will need to be spot on, we will need to respect this and then put our game into place, have to try to push them back and all these things. But yeah, let’s see.”
18:50 , Mike Jones
Liverpool’s last match was a 0-0 draw against Manchester United in the Premier League and the result saw them slip beneath Arsenal in the table.
The Reds’ boss Jurgen Klopp says he is taking positives from the results but acknowledges that there is an expectation for Liverpool to win.
In the programme notes for tonight’s match he wrote: “The world that we live in is one in which clubs like ourselves have to win every game – this is not a complaint, it is just a reality – so even when we do not beat a team like Manchester United the reaction outside is that it is a setback. Although I know this world and I respect it, as manager it is not one that I can be part of.
“This is why I have spoken about the positives when others wanted to find negatives. I also do the reverse when we are being praised for a result. This is the truth of football. There has to be balance in what you see and how you view it. If everything you think is defined only by the outcome, it would not make too much sense.
“So I was definitely able to see the good parts of our performance against United. It was not perfect, of course. Our finishing was not what we would like and there were also times when our decision-making could and should have been better. But so many other of the indicators that I look for from my team were positive.”
Liverpool’s ‘crazy’ numbers show vital piece missing for title challenge18:45 , Mike Jones
Another game against Manchester United, another record. After Liverpool’s biggest win against historic rivals came the Premier League match where they compiled the most shots without scoring. Some 34 brought frustration but no celebrations, a first game without a goal in eight months and the kind of words from Jurgen Klopp that implied Liverpool were more dangerous than in March’s 7-0 demolition.
“I can’t remember this kind of dominance against Manchester United,” he said. Arguably, Liverpool were superior in the 2018 win that finished off Jose Mourinho, and not merely because they had 36 shots that day. They had a mere 18 in the 7-0, though shot count is far from the only measure of excellence. Perhaps the most emphatic of all was when they went 5-0 up in 50 minutes at Old Trafford in October 2021. But while Klopp touted Liverpool’s best counter-press with this team, it came in a stalemate.
“We tried everything and the numbers we created - in terms of shots - is crazy,” Klopp reflected. “But with that amount of shots they should be a few more on target. Today was easy saves for [Andre] Onana pretty much because the ball rolls into his arms.”
Liverpool’s ‘crazy’ numbers show vital piece missing for title challenge
Liverpool vs West Ham18:40 , Mike Jones
Liverpool won their first League Cup in 1981 after a replay against the Hammers. They are aiming to reach their 14th final and claim a 10th success in this competition.
18:35 , Mike Jones
West Ham assistant manager Billy McKinlay is confident the Irons have what it takes to progress to the semi-finals of the competition for the first time in a decade.
"Success and winning gives you a couple of things - it makes you hungry for more and it gives you a feeling that you’re capable of doing it and being successful and winning things," McKinlay said.
"I think that’s been the case for our good run in the Europa League and we’ve done the business there. We’re in the quarter-finals of the Carabao Cup so we’re in a good place at the moment, we’re hungry and looking to improve on that."
Lijnders on Carabao Cup18:30 , Mike Jones
Liverpool assistant boss Pep Lijnders spoke to the media on Tuesday instead of Jurgen Klopp and explained how Liverpool view the Carabao Cup.
“It is an interesting competition because if you want to be successful in all four, if you want to at least compete in all four, you need a full squad available and you need everybody on their toes every day and everybody wants to play and everybody wants to compete.” he said, “That's the main thing.
“I feel really happy about these last weeks because you see that you need the full squad to win football games if the calendar becomes something like this – and that's something we did, so I am really proud of that.
“It shows how the subs came in, it shows how the mentality of the boys [was] to create really a difference, and that's something you need.
“That's why I like this competition a lot as well because it gives some players an opportunity, it gives young players an opportunity and at the same time you play early finals and everybody knows Liverpool Football Club is here to reach finals, to play in the finals at least.”
Jose Mourinho explains why Mohamed Salah left Chelsea18:25 , Mike Jones
Jose Mourinho has washed his hands of Mohamed Salah’s controversial departure from Chelsea and claims that he deserves credit for bringing the Egyptian to Stamford Bridge in the first place.
Salah joined Chelsea from Swiss side FC Basel as a 21-year-old in January 2014 but made just 19 appearances – scoring two goals – in two-and-a-half years with the Blues. During that period he enjoyed hugely successful loan spells with Fiorentina and Roma.
He was then sold permanently to Roma for just €15m in the summer of 2016, where he shone for another season before returning to the Premier League with Liverpool for a club-record fee of £36.5m.
Jose Mourinho explains why Mohamed Salah left Chelsea
Liverpool vs West Ham18:20 , Mike Jones
The Carabao Cup semi-final draw will take place on Wednesday 20 December following the conclusion of Liverpool vs West Ham United. It is expected to start around 10pm GMT though could be later due to the nature of the quarter-final.
When will the semi-final fixtures take place?
The first legs will take place on the week commencing 8th January.
The second legs will take place on the week commencing 21st January.
When is the Carabao Cup final?
The league cup final will take place on Sunday 25 February 2024 at Wembley.
Liverpool vs West Ham LIVE: Latest Carabao Cup latest updates18:15 , Jamie Braidwood
Liverpool assistant boss Pep Lijnders faced the media on Tuesday instead of Jurgen Klopp and backed Reds striker Darwin Nunez.
The 24-year-old Uruguay forward, signed from Benfica in 2022 and scorer of 15 goals in all competitions for the Reds in the last campaign, has seven so far this term.
Sunday’s 0-0 draw with Manchester United made it 10 club appearances without netting, his last Liverpool goal coming in the 2-1 Carabao Cup fourth-round win at Bournemouth in early November, but Lijnders says Nunez should not be judged on goals alone.
Lijnders said: “I think Darwin is full of desire, you see this in each game, and if we would only judge players on the goals that would be so unfair, because in our way, always when we reach our targets or really were there to compete, it was always about the collective.
“I feel there is a good connection between Mo (Salah) and Darwin, the way they see each other, assist each other, and I feel above everything that Darwin is playing a much better season than last year, the way how he defends for the team, goes, chases back, his counter press as well. He helps us a lot when we are deep and we can play with him as a reference.
“It’s a long time we play with a false nine, and now its Darwin Nunez. He is learning but I like a lot, and I think this guy is full of fire. That’s what our stadium likes and that’s what we need as well, to lead the line in this way. He can only become better.
“It’s always with goals, if you create a lot, the goals will come naturally. We are creating and sometimes you have to be a little bit lucky. He feels our trust, that’s the thing we can give him.”
Darwin Nunez’s last goal for Liverpool was in the Carabao Cup (PA Wire)
Liverpool vs West Ham LIVE: Latest Carabao Cup latest updates18:05 , Jamie Braidwood
David Moyes’s side stunned Premier League leaders Arsenal in the fifth round to leave Liverpool as the highest-ranked side left standing in the final eight.
The Reds, who defeated Bournemouth in the previous round and are looking to win the Carabao Cup for a record-extending 10th time, will look to get back to winning ways after being held to a goalless draw by Manchester United on Sunday.
West Ham have lost their last seven trips to Anfield, including a 3-1 Premier League defeat earlier this season, but the Hammers have shown strong cup form over the past couple of seasons as they look to add to their Europa Conference League victory.
Here’s everything you need to know.
Is Liverpool vs West Ham on TV? Channel, time and how to watch
Liverpool vs West Ham LIVE: Latest Carabao Cup latest updates18:04 , Jamie Braidwood
What is the team news?
Liverpool midfielder Ryan Gravenberch joined the club’s growing injury list after hobbling off the goalless draw with Manchester United with a hamstring problem. It adds to Alexis Mac Allister’s absence in midfield due to a knee injury, while Diogo Jota and Andy Robertson also remain out.
West Ham are likely to go strong as there could be few changes from the side that beat Wolves 3-0 on Sunday. Michail Antonio is West Ham’s only injury concern.
Predicted line-ups
Liverpool: Kelleher; Alexander-Arnold, Quansah, Van Dijk, Tsimikas; Elliott, Endo, Jones; Salah, Gakpo, Diaz
West Ham: Fabianski; Kehrer, Mavropanos, Aguerd, Cresswell; Soucek, Ward-Prowse; Kudus, Fornals, Benrahma; Bowen
Liverpool vs West Ham LIVE: Latest Carabao Cup latest updates18:02 , Jamie Braidwood
When is Liverpool vs West Ham?
The Carabao Cup quarter-final between Liverpool and West Ham will kick off at 8pm GMT on Wednesday 20 December at Anfield.
How can I watch it?
It will be shown live on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Football, with coverage of the match starting from 7pm. The draw for the semi-finals will also be shown on the same channel following the game.
Liverpool vs West Ham - latest updates18:01 , Jamie Braidwood
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Liverpool vs West Ham LIVE: Latest Carabao Cup latest updates18:00 , Jamie Braidwood
Good evening and welcome to The Independent’s live blog covering all the action from Anfield as Liverpool take on West Ham in the Carabao Cup quarter-finals.
The match will be followed by the semi-final draw.
