The EFL Cup Postmortem

Bournemouth 1 – 2 Liverpool

This was an evening where the wind and the rain could have made for a horrible night’s work. The last sixteen luckily became the final eight, as the Reds await the visit of West Ham in the upcoming quarter-finals, to be played on 18 December. The inclusion of key assets for this trip to Bournemouth showed the seriousness that our German manager has taken this year, as non-participation in Europe’s premier event, the Champions League, opens up a short window (hopefully) to go full bore on all the domestic cups.

9 in 27 days

5 games in 13

we have had almost no injuries so far, we need for this to be a consequence of planning and design not luck https://t.co/SGUIcIOyOs

— SimonBrundish (@SimonBrundish) November 2, 2023

The Starting Eleven

Caoimhin Kelleher
Jarell Quansah
Joël Matip
Joe Gomez (c)
Kostas Tsimikas
Wataru Endō
Harvey Elliott
Curtis Jones
Dominik Szoboszlai
Mohamed Salah
Cody Gakpo

Subs

Darwin Núñez – Harvey Elliott (61 mins)
Alexis Mac Allister – Curtis Jones (61 mins)
Trent Alexander Arnold – Wataru Endō (61 mins)
Ryan Gravenberch – Dominik Szoboszlai (76 mins)
Cody Gakpo – Diogo Jota (81 mins)

Goals

Bournemouth 0 – 1 Liverpool
Cody Gakpo – 31 mins

Bournemouth 1 – 1 Liverpool
Justin Kluivert (Alex Scott) – 64 mins

Bournemouth 1 – 2 Liverpool
Darwin Núñez (Trent Alexander Arnold) – 70 mins

Important Match Stats

Possession
Bournemouth 33% – Liverpool 67%

Total Shots
Bournemouth 13 – Liverpool 11

The First Half

The opening period of this game was a frenetic battle to garner possession of the ball, as the poor weather conditions inevitably created goal-scoring situations for both sides. A well-drilled home defence was keen to clear their territory and attack at pace, with the Reds’ organized backline called to deal with a few moments of pressure. The corners for both sides were a continuing threat to their respective goals until the 31st minute, where that threat created the opening score. Cody Gakpo was able to smash the ball into the net from close range, after Harvey Elliott had drilled the partly cleared corner kick back towards goal. The half ended with the Reds ahead and probably relieved given the challenge of the game so far.

The Second Half

On resumption of the second half, it seemed like merely a waiting period until the changes were made. This type of preplanned initiative created a short window, one that allowed the home side to exploit and level the score. Another wonderfully delivered corner kick (from Alex Scott) found the son of Patrick Kluivert, who was able to nod home at the back post. The leveller, in fairness, was not far wide of the current game state and the number of shared opportunities at goal. As the Liverpool changes adjusted to the tricky environment, Darwin was able to settle the game after latching onto an arrowed long through ball by his vice-captain. Despite a heavy first touch (causing some jeers from the home crowd), the Uruguayan striker merely stepped inside his marker, before unleashing an unstopped shot into the upper echelons of the goal. Though the keeper’s starting position was questionable, little could be taken away from the fantastic effort, which reminded me of the various times we have seen Jordan Pickford unable to reach an elevated strike. From here on in, the Reds’ game management was out to full effect, as Jarell Quansah marshalled and dominated his rearguard with expertise. The ability of this team to shut down an opposition that is looking to take something from Liverpool is a very encouraging sight, as the end period of the game was simply whittled down until the final whistle.

What Are My Final Thoughts…?

I am very much in favour of domestic cup runs and minutes being spread across the width of this Liverpool 2.0. In creating and regenerating this group, Jürgen Klopp is enforcing a real competitive edge and in-house fight for positions in his first-team elite. The friendly desire of the players to produce better performances than their squad mates is infectious, with some impressive displays being shown across the team this evening. Caoimhin Kelleher once again looked his assured self, as the undoubted starting keeper of this Cup run. Joe Gomez was simply put, very good. Matip was steady, whereas the rest of the team did their jobs in a very confident and professional manner. If it was the goal of the match which whetted the travelling appetite, then it was surely the man of the match which delivered the main meal. Jarell Quansah was sensational and deliberate in his work throughout, which is becoming a common theme of the rookie defensive piece. At some point, the notion could be that we have a brilliant defensive player who could lead the latter part of this Liverpool 2.0, however, patience and not overhyping must be maintained.

Sort of.

The #PostMatchRAW: DARWINNING IN THE RAIN@guydrinkel is joined by @HendrickD82 & @JimBoardman to discuss the win over Bournemouth

📻 Listen in 1-Click: https://t.co/nsx1sk61Ai pic.twitter.com/QNo15pjAUa

— AnfieldIndex (@AnfieldIndex) November 2, 2023

Pre-game prediction;
Bournemouth 1 – 2 Liverpool