Liverpool star Kostas Tsimikas lauds teammate for performance in 5-1 West Ham drubbing

Liverpool left-back Kostas Tsimkas has hailed his teammate Harvey Elliott as a 'magician' following the resounding 5-1 EFL Cup quarterfinal win over West Ham United on Wednesday (December 20).

Dominik Szoboszlai got the ball rolling for the Reds at Anfield inside 28 minutes. The floodgates soon opened after the break, with Curtis Jones (56') and Cody Gakpo (71') seemingly putting the result beyond doubt.

West Ham pulled one back through Jarrod Bowen in the 77th minute, but Mohamed Salah restored the Reds' three-goal lead five minutes later. Jones completed his brace six minutes from time as Jurgen Klopp's side stormed into the semifinals in a blaze of glory.

Although Elliott didn't make a goal contribution, he dazzled with three key passes, one dribble, 75 touches, 51 passes, two crosses and four long balls. The midfielder put up a photo on Instagram of himself wearing the Reds' No. 19 jersey.

Captain Virgil van Dijk responded with a fire emoji, while Tsimkas commented:

"Magician"

Here's a screenshot of the Greek's comment on Elliott's post:

Screenshot of Tsimkas' message on Elliott's Instagram post

The Reds return to action with a top-of-the-table clash at home to Arsenal on Saturday (December 23). One point separate them from the Gunners (39) who lead the way after 17 games.

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"Liverpool were awesome" - Former Reds goalkeeper David James

Reds manager Jurgen Klopp

Liverpool were rampant against a West Ham side that looked second-best for large swathes.

It was the perfect response from the Reds after their perfect home record in the league this season ended with a goalless stalemate to Manchester United at the weekend.

Former Reds goalkeeper David James hailed the Reds for their dominant win while admitting that West Ham were there for the taking. He said on BBC Radio 5 Live Breakfast:

"Liverpool were awesome. That was coupled with the fact that West Ham did not play particularly well. I met a lot of West Ham fans before the game, and when they were asking me what I thought the score was going to be, I thought West Ham were going to be strong, and it was going to be a difficult game - but that Liverpool would get through.

"In the end, it turned into a bit of a cakewalk. Dominik Szoboszlai's goal was absolutely superb, and Curtis Jones was great. They just looked like a defeated side when the second goal went in. West Ham had not done much before it but Liverpool did look superb."

The Reds will go top of the league this weekend if they beat the Gunners.