Jurgen Klopp hails the impact of substitutes Darwin Nunez and Cody Gakpo as Liverpool triumph 2-1 over Fulham in the Carabao Cup semi-final first leg… with his forwards …
Nunez #Nunez
Jurgen Klopp turned to his bench again as Liverpool came from behind to take a precious 2-1 first-leg lead in their Carabao Cup semi-final against Fulham.
Substitutes Darwin Nunez and Cody Gakpo were introduced before the hour with Liverpool trailing and changed the game with Nunez producing two assists, the second of them for Gakpo’s winner.
Remarkably, Liverpool substitutes have now contributed 30 goals or assists this season – 12 more than anyone else in the Premier League – and underlined why they probably have the strongest squad in the country.
Last night’s win was achieved with 10 players unavailable including injured stars Trent Alexander-Arnold, Andy Robertson and Dominik Szoboszlai, and Mo Salah on African Cup of Nations duty.
‘To bring on Cody and Darwin from the bench, that is a proper change,’ purred Klopp.
Jurgen Klopp hailed the depth of his squad on Wednesday after his bench impressed again
Liverpool came from behind to beat Fulham 2-1 in the first leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final
Substitutes Cody Gakpo (right) and Darwin Nunez combined for the Reds’ winner at Anfield
‘To turn a game around, you need quality and belief, but the main thing is mentality and we have it.
‘We’ve had to overcome real difficulties this season. The boys did it (comebacks) against Bournemouth, Newcastle away and more.’
Nobody’s name was sung louder by The Kop than Nunez who hit the crossbar and was denied by Bernd Leno. His poor scoring run now extends to one goal in 16 games but he still made a huge impact.
‘I don’t know how to explain Darwin. I am so happy about how our crowd is with him,’ said Klopp.
‘He can not be this unlucky – he does everything absolutely right with his shot (saved onto the woodwork). Then he still sets up the goals. That is really special. There are so many things I love about him.
‘This tie is not over but first we have this break. My English is not good enough to explain how pleased I am about that!’
Homegrown midfielder Curtis Jones, who scored a 68th-minute equaliser with a deflected shot from Nunez’s touch. Added: ‘It was tough in the first half. We had all the ball but couldn’t find the back of the net. In the second half, we changed that around and the fans are leaving with smiles on their faces.
Gakpo’s strike proved the winner as was scored just three minutes after Liverpool’s equaliser
Klopp’s side were frustrated during the first hour of the clash, lacking quality in the final third
IT’S ALL KICKING OFF!
It’s All Kicking Off is an exciting new podcast from Mail Sport that promises a different take on Premier League football.
It is available on MailOnline, Mail+, YouTube, Apple Music and Spotify.
‘I came all the way through the academy so it [scoring] means more. I’ve been around the team since I was 17 and the journey has been up and down.’
Fulham boss Marco Silva promised the tie isn’t over but was annoyed his side conceded twice in three minutes – just like their league game at Anfield in December when they let a 3-2 lead slip to lose 4-3.
‘It was a big frustration their second goal came quickly after the first,’ he said. ‘We know what it’s like against these teams. Goals lift their players and the whole stadium and we had to keep our composure and be really smart.
‘We have to go for it in the second leg. Their first goal was a bit lucky with the deflection. We are going to fight at home. We have ambition to play at Wembley. We definitely have something to play for.’
Share or comment on this article: Jurgen Klopp hails the impact of substitutes Darwin Nunez and Cody Gakpo as Liverpool triumph 2-1 over Fulham in the Carabao Cup semi-final first leg… with his forwards combining off the bench to net the winner