Darwin Nunez, the standout performer, secured Liverpool’s spot in the Carabao Cup quarter-finals with a brilliant second-half goal, defeating Bournemouth 2-1 at a windy Vitality Stadium.
The match started with Cody Gakpo giving Liverpool a first-half lead, but Justin Kluivert equalized for Bournemouth in challenging weather conditions caused by Storm Ciaran.
Then, Nunez’s spectacular goal, his third in as many games, put Liverpool ahead, ensuring they advanced to the next round.
Mohamed Salah, among the few retained players from Liverpool’s previous match, led the team in this experimental lineup.
Bournemouth secured their first Premier League victory under coach Andoni Iraola by defeating Burnley 2-1. In their latest match, they made only three changes and had more opportunities in the beginning.
Kluivert, who was back in the lineup, had two attempts thwarted by Liverpool’s goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher. Meanwhile, Ryan Christie missed a golden opportunity, sending the ball wide when Antoine Semenyo set it up for him.
Liverpool had control of possession and had a chance to take the lead in the 27th minute, but Harvey Elliott’s shot from the penalty spot was easily saved by Bournemouth’s goalkeeper Andrei Radu.
The energetic midfielder quickly made up for it four minutes later when he played a crucial role in the first goal. After Kostas Tsimikas’ corner was partially cleared, Elliott struck a powerful shot that was cleverly back-heeled toward the goal by Gakpo. He then managed to score on his second attempt after Radu initially blocked the shot.
Before the match, Bournemouth boss Iraola acknowledged that his team faced a significant challenge but also had a great opportunity to advance to the next round.
In the midst of heavy rain, his team started the second half aggressively and nearly benefited from the wind’s unpredictability. Alex Scott’s corner from the left was heading for the goal, but Joe Gomez at the back post cleared it off the line.
Salah had a close miss for Liverpool, while Semenyo narrowly missed for Bournemouth. Then, substitute Marcus Tavernier took a long shot that tested Kelleher.
Bournemouth managed to equalize in the 64th minute when Kluivert scored with a header from a Scott corner.
However, Liverpool quickly regained the lead when Nunez made a spectacular play, cutting inside and scoring from the left wing.
Bournemouth had five minutes of added time to try and force a penalty shootout, but they couldn’t mount a significant threat, and Liverpool held on to advance comfortably.