Liverpool vs Fulham final score, result, highlights as Jones and Gakpo complete comeback at Anfield in Carabao Cup semifinal first leg

Brad Cox

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Liverpool vs Fulham final score, result, highlights as Jones and Gakpo complete comeback at Anfield in Carabao Cup semifinal first leg image

Liverpool scored twice in three minutes to come back from a goal behind against Fulham in the Carabao Cup semi-final first leg. 

There was a period in the first half where Mohamed Salah's absence was felt at Anfield as the Reds' final third possession was often wasted and the front three appeared disjointed. But second-half goals from Curtis Jones and Cody Gakpo completed the comeback with 20 minutes to play despite Fulham being well in control of their lead for the majority of the match.

Jurgen Klopp must be given credit as it was his two substitutes that turned the game on its head and they combined for the go-ahead goal. Darwin Nunez made a darting run down the left and cut the ball back to Gakpo who tucked the ball past Bernd Leno with ease. The Dutchman has now scored in all four Carabao Cup games this season. 

Liverpool's equaliser was somewhat fortuitous but it was nothing short of what they deserved as they piled on the pressure late in the second half. Jones topped off his stellar performance by finding himself on the scoresheet after his strike took a huge deflection off Tosin Adarabioyo's back which lofted the ball over Leno. 

Fulham's early lead came through Willian as he ensured to take full advantage of a Virgil van Dijk mistake. The Liverpool skipper allowed Andreas Pereira to pick his pocket on the edge of the 18-yard box and the former Man United midfielder cut the ball back to the Brazilian winger took his time getting the ball out of his feet before beating Caoimhin Kelleher. It was the Cottager's first shot of the match.

Willian's goal saw him become the oldest player to score in a League Cup semi-final since Fernandinho in January 2021 and it also meant Liverpool have failed to keep a clean sheet in all of their last four games at Anfield. 

Despite that record, Anfield is still a fortress this season. They're 16 games unbeaten in all competitions at home, but more importantly, have won 14.

Klopp will no doubt enjoy his hard-earned winter break as the Reds return to action in a little over 10 days with a trip to the south coast to face in-form Bournemouth.

MORE: When is the Carabao Cup final?

Liverpool vs Fulham final score

  Final score Goalscorers
Liverpool 2 Jones 68', Gakpo 71'
Fulham 1 Willian 19'

Liverpool vs Fulham live updates, highlights from Carabao Cup semifinal

FT: That's it! Liverpool overcome a first-half scare with a spirited comeback in the second 45 minutes. It's advantage Liverpool and Fulham only have themselves to blame as they failed to build on their lead despite multiple opportunities. 

94th minute: It's a wasted opportunity as Wilson's set-play is cleared easily. 

93rd minute: Robinson earns Fulham a free-kick deep into injury time and in a dangerous position. Bradley, who's had a great game, showed his inexperience there. 

90th minute: There will be four minutes of added time. 

83rd minute: Nunez's strike from a tight angle is batted away by Leno. Liverpool are desperate to double their advantage ahead of travelling to Craven Cottage for the second leg in two weeks.

76th minute: Jota with another chance and this time he connects well with his left foot but his strike was always rising over the bar. 

71st minute: GOAL! GAKPO GIVES LIVERPOOL THE LEAD! Jota finds Nunez down the left who cuts the ball back for Cody Gakpo to tuck home at the near post. It's a really tidy finish as Klopp's two substitutes combine. 

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68th minute: GOAL! JONES EQUALISES! Liverpool deserve that goal but it's bad luck for Fulham. Curtis Jones' strike takes a huge deflection off Tosin Adarabioyo's back and beats Leno.

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66th minute: Mac Allister's free-kick is short and Robinson completely misses the header and it strikes his hand. We've seen them given as penalties before... a timely reminder of no VAR in this stage of the competition due to Middlesbrough not having the capacity for it. 

63rd minute: Another chance for Cordova-Reid but he makes the wrong decision! The Fulham winger opted to shoot instead of pick out Pereira who was unmarked and could have tapped the ball into the back of the net. Marco Silva was furious on the touchline, according to the Sky Sports commentary team. 

62nd minute: Cordova-Reid could have been in on goal had he taken the ball in his stride but the ball was slightly behind him and Liverpool get away with one. The intensity of this game is superb. 

56th minute: Nunez and Gakpo come on for Elliott and Gravenberch. Klopp goes fully offensive. 

55th minute: Jota beautifully skips past two Fulham defenders before letting it fly but Diop makes a fantastic save. 

49th minute: HUGE chance for Liverpool. Gravenberch finds himself in space on the edge of the box and Leno left a huge gap in the bottom left corner but the Dutch midfielder drags his effort wide. Another great start made by the Reds. 

46th minute: The second half is underway! 

HT: That's all from the first half and Fulham go into the interval with a one-goal lead. 

45th minute: There will be three minutes of added time. 

44th minute: Pereira switches the ball from his right onto his weaker left foot and tries his luck from distance but it's straight down the Liverpool goalkeeper's throat. 

37th minute: Mac Allister's free-kick is struck straight at the wall. That was disappointing. 

36th minute: Mac Allister's corner is swung too close to Leno who punches clear but it comes out to Jota and he wins a free-kick on the edge of the box in a dangerous position. 

34th minute: Diaz and Jota have been trying to connect down the left and it's been working well so far, however, they can't quite the final third pass right. 

25th minute: Van Dijk now receives a yellow card as Pereira goes down after a face to the mouth, that one looked slightly sore.  

19th minute: GOAL! 0-1 FULHAM! It's a huge error from Virgil van Dijk as the former Man United man Andreas Pereira picks his pocket and cuts the ball back to Willian who gets the better of Kelleher. What a start for the visitors. 

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16th minute: It's Liverpool who generate the first real chance as Mac Allister wins the ball with a terrific challenge and works it well wide to Elliott. The former Fulham man finds Jota down the right and his low-driven effort is right across the face of goal. 

10th minute: Jones has been the shining light for Liverpool so far and Elliott is being booed by the travelling Fulham fans.

5th minute: Liverpool have started the game as we expected, they've been dominant in possession and playing it around the back. Jones pops a shot off from just outside the box but it's right at Leno. 

1st minute: We're underway at Anfield!

15 minutes until kickoff: The players' warm-ups are nearly finished and kickoff is rapidly approaching at Anfield.

30 minutes until kickoff: The stats would suggest a Liverpool win could be on the cards as they've not lost in six matches, beaten Fulham in both of their previous two encounters and are unbeaten at Anfield in 19 games. The Cottagers will have it all to do this evening...

1 hour until kickoff: Team news is in! 

1 hour 30 mins until kickoff: Last time they came to Anfield, Fulham scored three goals. They'll want to do the same tonight, except this time avoid conceding four in the process!

2 hours until kickoff: Jurgen Klopp understands the importance of tonight's match for his side. Writing in the club's programme, he said: "No-one needs me to say how big a game this is. It speaks for itself. When you are only two steps away from a final at Wembley, it makes sense to do everything that you possibly can to take them. We have done this in the past and the feeling was good — really good — so it would be nice if we could experience that feeling again."

Liverpool vs Fulham lineups

Liverpool's injury list remains unchanged after the win over Arsenal with eight first-team players missing for this game. Captain Virgil van Dijk has recovered from illness and comes back into the team.

Caoimhin Kelleher and Conor Bradley also start with Mohamed Salah away at the Africa Cup of Nations.

Liverpool starting XI (4-3-3, right to left): Kelleher (GK) — Bradley, Konate, Van Dijk, Gomez — Gravenberch, Mac Allister, Jones — Elliott, Jota, Diaz.

Liverpool subs (9): Alisson, Nunez, Gakpo, Clark, Gordon, McConnell, Beck, Quansah, Nyoni.

Fulham have three players away on AFCON duty with Calvin Bassey, Fode Ballo-Toure and Alex Iwobi all missing, and USMNT defender Tim Ream is only fit enough to make the bench.

Fulham starting XI (4-2-3-1 right to left): Leno (GK) — Castagne, Adarabioyo, Diop, Robinson — Reed, Palhinha — Willian, Andreas Pereira, Decordova-Reid — Raul Jimenez.

Fulham subs (9): Rodak, Tete, Ream, Lukic, Francois, Cairney, Wilson, Muniz, Vinicius.

How to watch Liverpool vs Fulham

Here's how to watch this EFL Cup match across selected areas of the world's major regions:

Region TV Streaming
USA — ESPN+
Canada —

DAZN

UK Sky Sports Main Event, Sky Sports Football Sky GO, Now TV
Australia beIN Sports 3 beIN Sports Connect 
India — FanCode

USA: This game is available on ESPN+.

Canada: This game is live streaming exclusively on DAZN.

Australia: Fans in Australia can stream EFL Cup matches live and on demand on beIN Sports.

UK: This match is available for live broadcast in the UK via Sky Sports services with streaming available on Sky GO and Now TV.

Brad Cox

Brad Cox Photo

Brad is a content producer for The Sporting News and has previously worked for the likes of Squawka and The Athletic. His career highlight to date is reporting from the 2022 UEFA Champions League Final in Paris.