Liverpool booked their place in the Carabao Cup quarter-finals in a gripping encounter against AFC Bournemouth, featuring a remarkable late strike by Darwin Nunez.
Nunez, who came on as a substitute, produced a moment of sheer brilliance in the 70th minute. He cut inside from the left flank and expertly curled the ball into the top-right corner, rendering Bournemouth’s goalkeeper, Ionut Radu, powerless to stop it.
The scoring had commenced with Cody Gakpo opening the account for Liverpool in the first half, capitalizing on a rebound from Harvey Elliott’s shot to poke the ball into the net from close range. Bournemouth responded through Justin Kluivert in the 64th minute when the summer signing from Roma headed in an Alex Scott corner.
In the final quarter of the match, Bournemouth went all out to level the score, but their endeavors proved fruitless. Despite efforts from David Brooks and Hamed Traore, Liverpool’s defense held firm.
In the quarter-finals, Liverpool is set to clash with Premier League counterparts West Ham, who triumphed over Arsenal with a scoreline of 3-1 in the fourth round of the Carabao Cup.
While a cup run is exhilarating, Bournemouth must maintain their focus on their primary objective, securing their place in the Premier League for a third consecutive season. Manager Andoni Iraola’s football philosophy is still being instilled, and the recent 2-1 victory against Burnley played a pivotal role in pushing Bournemouth one point clear of the relegation zone.
