Carabao Cup: Gakpo’s double takes Liverpool into QF; Arsenal move past Preston North
After a goalless first half at Amex Stadium, Cody Gakpo broke the deadlock just seconds after the restart when he found the top corner with an unstoppable effort.
Liverpool moved up to second place in the Premier League table, beating Brentford 3-0 at Anfield on Sunday.
Fabinho opened the scoring just before the interval for the Reds, converting with a close-range header at the back post from a corner. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain doubled the lead on 69 minutes when he diverted an Andy Robertson-cross home with his head.
Takumi Minamino came off the bench to claim a third goal after Roberto Firmino had regained possession from a Brentford goal kick.
Advertisement
The result moved Liverpool up to second place in the standings, leapfrogging Chelsea with a game in hand on the Londoners.
Liverpool made two changes from the draw with Arsenal on Thursday night, with Curtis Jones and Oxlade-Chamberlain replacing James Milner and Takumi Minamino in the line-up.
Liverpool kicked off on a crisp winter’s afternoon at Anfield aiming to end a sequence of three Premier League games without a victory — and they duly made a purposeful start.
Diogo Jota sent a header spinning over the crossbar before Trent Alex’nder-Arnold’s surge into the area resulted in a left-foot shot being blocked by Rico Henry inside the opening 11 minutes.
Alexander-Arnold went close again soon after, this time arrowing a drive a fraction the wrong side of the upright from the edge of the box.
With half-time approaching, a trademark run forward from Matip resulted in a shooting opportunity for the center-back, but he miscued enabling Fernandez to make a routine take before Jota was foiled in the area by a block from Henry.
In another match, Leeds United overcame West Ham United 3-2 with Jack Harrison blasting home a hat-trick.
Advertisement
