Liverpool 5-1 West Ham: 5 hits and flops as the Reds canter into the cup semi-finals after thrashing the Hammers | EFL Cup 2023-24 

Liverpool steamrolled West Ham United 5-1 at Anfield in the quarter-finals of the Carabao Cup on Wednesday.

Dominik Szoboszlai got the Reds underway in the 28th minute with a cool, long-range finish.

Unable to find any further goals in the first half, Liverpool upped the ante after the break and found the net four more times.

Curtis Jones doubled their advantage in the 56th minute with a sumptuous low-drive from a tight angle, before Cody Gakpo made it 3-0 with a cool finish from the edge of the box in the 71st minute.

Six minutes later, Jarrod Bowen pulled one back with a wonderful strike into the top corner, giving West Ham some hope.

It did not last long though, as Mohamed Salah came off the bench to score a fourth before Jones bagged his second following a sensational solo run, darting past five white shirts to place a shot into the bottom corner.

It was a vintage display from Liverpool, who cantered into the last-four where they've been drawn against Fulham for a place in the finals.

Here are the hits and flops from the match:

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Hit: Curtis Jones (Liverpool)

With two goals and a man-of-the-match performance, Curtis Jones announced his return to Liverpool starting XI in style. He was at the heart of their blistering, scorching and menacing attacks that left West Ham's defense in sixes and sevens.

His passing was top-notch and played a key role in winning back possession too. But the icing on the cake were certainly Jones' goals. His first was a low-drive from a tight angle, before bagging a second by running past five defenders and then firing into the bottom-corner.

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Flop: West Ham's defense

It's hard to pick on one player, given the terrible collective display at the back by West Ham's defenders. Liverpool's fast and incisive plays troubled the visitors to the hilt and left them all over the place.

Angelo Ogbonna and Konstantinos Mavropanos, the two Hammers centre-backs, had no communication between them, while their full-backs also left a plenty of gaps on the flanks for Liverpool's marauding attackers to exploit.

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Hit: Cody Gakpo (Liverpool)

Cody Gakpo certainly loves playing in the Carabao Cup. For the third consecutive time, the Dutchman found the net in the competition, extending his record of having scored in every round so far this season.

With goals against Leicester City and Bournemouth in the third and fourth rounds, Gakpo's chances of continuing that run looked slim earlier on when he was struggling to make the playing XI. His off-the-ball threats were minimal and was the Dutchman eclipsed by more advanced players.

However, the former PSV Eindhoven star wasn't to be kept out for long as he finally found the back of the net in the 71st minute. After receiving a pass from Ibrahima Konate, Gakpo tip-toed his way forward before firing one in the far corner from the edge of the box.

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Flop: Pablo Fornals (West Ham)

Pablo Fornals was a complete non-factor in the match for the Hammers. Not that other West Ham attackers were deadly, but the Spaniard was possibly the worst of the lot on the night. He had 32 touches in 90 minutes, but could only make a few meek passes, 24 to be exact, of which eight were misplaced.

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Hit: Harvey Elliott (Liverpool)

No goals for Harvey Elliott in the game but he nevertheless turned in a spectacular performance, worthy of a man-of-the-match award on any other day. His forward runs were well-timed and passes were immaculate.

The 20-year-old wreaked havoc down the right as West Ham struggled to contain him. Elliott was the creative inspiration behind many of Liveprool's attacks while also posing a direct threat himself, mustering five shots.