Liverpool played Fulham in the first leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final at Anfield with a 2-1 victory.
Fulham started the game brightly and took the lead through Willian, capitalizing on a mistake by Virgil van Dijk.
Liverpool struggled to regain their composure after the early setback and Fulham continued to threaten offensively.
The hosts managed to level the scores when Curtis Jones scored a long-range effort that took a wicked deflection off Tosin Adarabioyo.
After the goal, the game was evenly contested, with both teams creating chances.
Liverpool came out with more intent in the second half and were rewarded with two quickfire goals in three minutes from substitutes Darwin Nunez and Cody Gakpo.
Fulham were unlucky not to get anything from the game after putting in a solid defensive performance.
They defended superbly and were compact and difficult to break down, but Liverpool’s quality in the final third proved too much for them.
The victory gives Liverpool the advantage heading into the second leg at Craven Cottage on January 24, ensuring the Premier League leaders remain on track in their pursuit of four trophies this season.
Liverpool dominated the early exchanges, forcing chances through Jones and Diogo Jota, but Fulham’s surprise opener halted their momentum.
Fulham remained compact and difficult to break down as the hosts struggled to carve out chances.
Joe Gomez, seeking a first Liverpool goal on his 200th appearance for the club, brushed the side netting with a driven shot seconds before half-time.
Liverpool reached the interval having only registered one shot on target.
There were signs of improvement after the break, but Fulham spurned a glorious, breakaway chance to double their lead when Bobby De Cordova-Reid chose to shoot from a narrow-angle when he should have squared to the unmarked Pereira.
Silva reacted furiously to that decision, and it was swiftly punished by Liverpool as Jota burst forward and fed substitute Nunez, who teed up Jones for a shot that flew in off Tosin.
It was harsh on Fulham, who had defended superbly, but Liverpool soon added their second, with Jota again involved as he played in Nunez, whose cut-back was ruthlessly dispatched by Gakpo.
From then on, Liverpool dominated the game with the explosive Nunez going close to extending their lead on three separate occasions.
The hosts had to settle for a one-goal advantage, knowing it could have been very different if not for De Cordova-Reid’s decision-making, and Nunez and Gakpo’s impact from the bench.
Top of the Premier League and through to the Europa League knockout stages having also beaten Arsenal in the FA Cup third round on Sunday, Liverpool’s four-pronged hunt for silverware continues.
Whichever side emerges victorious from the second leg at Craven Cottage will face either Middlesbrough or Chelsea in the final.
