Liverpool fight back to beat Fulham in EFL Cup-ZoomTech News

Liverpool staged a second-half turnaround to beat Fulham at Anfield within the first leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final tie.

It was a minimum of Fulham deserved after a formidable first half, however Liverpool stepped it up after the break and fought again with two targets in three minutes.

First, Curtis Jones equalised when his 68th-minute strike from distance took a giant deflection off Tosin Adarabioyo to wrong-foot Bernd Leno within the Fulham purpose.

Substitute Cody Gakpo then drove in a Darwin Nunez pull-back to ship the house crowd wild.

It was the second time in simply over a month that Liverpool had denied Fulham success at Anfield. Marco Silva’s facet had led 3-2 within the last 10 minutes of their Premier League conflict on 3 December however misplaced 4-3.

The 2 sides will meet once more within the second leg at Craven Cottage on Wednesday, 24 January, with Jurgen Klopp’s males now within the driving seat as they give the impression of being to maintain alive their hopes of a record-extending tenth League Cup win.

However the Reds boss warned: “It isn’t over but.

“I did not anticipate a end result the place we may guide the lodge. Hopefully we will probably be higher from the beginning. We could not do greater than win the sport -I am completely completely happy.”

Subs spark Liverpool in second-half restoration

This had the potential to be a tough sport for Premier League leaders Liverpool, who went into the sport with quite a few key gamers lacking.

Trent Alexander-Arnold, who was wonderful of their FA Cup third-round win in opposition to Arsenal on the weekend, is dealing with a couple of weeks out with damage, whereas Mohamed Salah and Wataru Endo are away on worldwide responsibility.

Fulham gave Liverpool a scare at Anfield final month and having come so near a end result on that event, they appeared decided to trigger an upset this time.

They have been good worth for his or her 1-0 lead at half-time with the hosts lacklustre and a little bit disjointed.

However Klopp’s facet have been a distinct prospect after the break as they pressed a lot greater up the pitch and when Gakpo and Nunez have been launched halfway by way of the second interval, Fulham’s defence was unable to manage.

In the long run, Liverpool may have gained by a much bigger margin with the spectacular Nunez as soon as once more unlucky to not get on the scoresheet.

“I do not know the way to clarify the Darwin scenario,” added Klopp. “He cannot be extra unfortunate in ending conditions. He does every part proper and nonetheless units up the targets.

“To convey Darwin and Cody from the bench is a correct change.”

An enormous constructive for Klopp was the efficiency of Northern Eire worldwide Conor Bradley. The 20-year-old began at right-back in Alexander-Arnold’s absence and impressed all through.

It’s now 16 video games unbeaten at Anfield for the Reds – 14 of these victories – as they as soon as once more discovered the desire and a strategy to prolong their dominant report on house soil.

Fulham’s ‘ruthless’ first-half pleases Silva

Fulham, in the meantime, will take coronary heart from their first-half show as they give the impression of being to maintain alive their hopes of a primary League Cup win.

“We knew it was going to be a tricky one,” stated boss Marco Silva. “You may’t play for a last pondering it isn’t going to be actually exhausting. Even three days in the past they have been in a position to play Arsenal away from house within the FA Cup.

“We did very well within the first half, extra of a low block than we often play however we managed it properly. They’re a risk with the tempo and high quality of their attacking gamers they usually can punish you at any time. We have been ruthless within the first half, however second half they pushed up a bit extra.”