Liverpool managed to turn the game around on a cold Wednesday at Anfield, coming from behind to beat Fulham 2-1 in the first leg of the Carabao Cup semifinals. After a strong start from Fulham, who took the lead via Willian and spent much of the first half frustrating the home side with a counter-attacking strategy, Liverpool finally broke through in the 68th minute. A quick-fire double from Curtis Jones and Cody Gakpo in a span of three minutes secured the win.
Liverpool produced a good fight to come back strong from a goal down and went on to beat Fulham 2-1 in the first leg of their English Carabao Cup semifinal at a cold Anfield on Wednesday. Curtis Jones and Cody Gakpo turned the match on Liverpool’s way by scoring a goal each in three minutes of duration. Fulham started positively and played well to take a lead in the first half thanks to a goal from Willian, then sat back and attempted to hit Liverpool on the break, frustrating Juergen Klopp’s men until the 68th minute, when Jones and Gakpo scored in short succession.
Fulham seemed on the verge of handing the record-holding League Cup winners their first home defeat of the campaign when Willian scored in the 19th minute. The veteran Brazilian attacker pounced on a poor clearance from Virgil van Dijk, firing a shot from the edge of the six-yard box right between the legs of keeper Caoimhin Kelleher.
Despite dominating possession, the league leaders struggled against a stubborn Fulham defense until Curtis Jones scored from distance, aided by a significant deflection off Tosin Adarabioyo. Cody Gakpo, who has now scored in every League Cup appearance for the club, put Liverpool ahead in the 71st minute by tapping in a cross from Darwin Nunez. The victory kept the Anfield crowd happy and bolstered an impressive home record of 14 wins and two draws this season.
Liverpool's dominance was evident in the shot count, 21 to Fulham's six, with the introduction of Cody Gakpo and Darwin Nunez in the second half proving to be the decisive tactical move. The team had to adapt to the absence of key figures: top scorer Mohamed Salah was away with Egypt for the Africa Cup of Nations, and Trent Alexander-Arnold was sidelined with a knee injury sustained during the FA Cup match against Arsenal.
Reflecting on the win, Gakpo noted that Jones's goal was the vital spark that got them back into the match, allowing them to dominate both possession and chance creation. Manager Jurgen Klopp also took a moment to praise young defender Conor Bradley, who stepped in for the injured Alexander-Arnold. Klopp was full of admiration for the 20-year-old's character and performance, jokingly suggesting the exhausted youngster might fall asleep in the locker room. The two teams will meet again on Wednesday, January 24, at Craven Cottage for the second leg.