Diogo Jota responded to his omission at the weekend with two goals in a comfortable 5-1 victory as Liverpool got their Carabao Cup defence off to a winning start as 10-man West Ham’s difficult start to the season continued.
The Portugal international lost his place to Darwin Nunez for the 3-0 Premier League win over Bournemouth on Saturday, but the two were paired together in a team showing nine changes at Anfield.
But even though Jota was deployed in the slightly deeper role, he showed his often erratic partner just how ruthless you have to be to be a Liverpool striker with two effortlessly clinical goals.
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Nunez, by contrast, struggled to find an opening but that was probably as much a result of Arne Slot’s team selection lacking a passer of genuine quality.
Federico Chiesa, on his first start since a summer move from Juventus, showed glimpses of promise in the hour he was afforded, with his mis-hit shot ballooning up off the turf for Jota to pop up in the right place to nod a close-range header past the challenge of goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski midway through the first half.
That cancelled out Jarell Quansah’s own goal from a poorly-defended West Ham corner, but his next strike proved the decisive one.
Four minutes after the interval Curtis Jones carried the ball out of defence, exchanged passes with Cody Gakpo and slid in a pass for Jota to dispatch with a first-time finish.
West Ham led through an own goal from Jarell Quansah, second left, in the first half (Peter Byrne/PA)
Jones improved as the game went on after he and Endo struggled to get a grip of midfield during the early stages and he almost grabbed a third when planted his toe-poke slightly too close to Fabianski.
Having got ahead Slot, whose only concession to youth in his squad was 21-year-old Tyler Morton, turned to the bench and brought on the upgrades of Mohamed Salah and Alexis Mac Allister for Chiesa and Jota.
It did not immediately improve things as the visitors, for whom former Reds striker Danny Ings had an 18th-minute goal ruled out for offside, had arguably their best spell with goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher denying Michael Antonio, Max Kilman and Aaron Cresswell.
They also had penalty claims waved away Vladimir Coufal’s cross hit Kostas Tsimikas in the stomach and then his arm.
Jota and Cody Gakpo, right, both scored braces at Anfield (Peter Byrne/PA)
But Liverpool’s two substitutes combined to score the third which gave them important breathing room as Mac Allister’s shot was blocked by Fabianski into the path of Salah who fired home first time.
The Egypt international was then hacked down as he threatened to race clear and Edson Alvarez was sent off for a second bookable offence before Cody Gakpo beat Fabianski at his near post from the edge of the area and then had a shot deflect in off Jean-Clair Toddibo in added time for a quickfire brace.
West Ham, registering seven changes from the weekend, have now lost three of their last four matches to increase the pressure on new head coach Julen Lopetegui.