It was an occasion to showcase some of Anfield’s less prominent players, and based on their performance, it would require a courageous manager to refuse Curtis Jones, Jarell Quansah, and Harvey Elliott a starting position at Wembley should Liverpool advance.

When it came to their respective Premier League lineups for this Carabao Cup quarterfinal, David Moyes and Jurgen Klopp made six changes, but that was where their similarities ended.

Scarily inert, West Ham confused the travelling fans by bringing on Lucas Paqueta when they were trailing 2-0 and James Ward-Prowse when they were three goals behind.

In contrast, Liverpool, even with Mo Salah and Trent Alexander-Arnold starting on the bench, were hungry and focused from the moment Tim Robinson blew the whistle, writing the dull goalless draw against Manchester United into history.

In his 21 trips to Anfield with various clubs, Moyes has never won, and his squad did not play with the mentality of trying to change the course of history. Even though they had the last shot count of 29–2 in their favour, Liverpool only let up one goal on goal, a magnificent consolation goal from Jarrod Bowen after 77 minutes.

Liverpool cruised into the Carabao Cup semi-finals after scoring five goals against a hapless West Ham side at Anfield

Dominik Szoboszlai made the breakthrough for the dominant hosts after crashing home a stunning effort from long range

Jurgen Klopp wildly celebrated his team’s first goal of the evening and will be targeting yet another trophy later this season

With a winnable two-leg semifinal matchup against Fulham up next, Klopp’s team is now favourites to win a record 10th League Cup. They haven’t lost at home since losing to Real Madrid in February.

The Liverpool manager allowed his shadow players the opportunity to express themselves following the weekend’s setbacks, giving them clear instructions to shoot on sight and be cheerful.

Within the first twenty minutes, Elliott alone scored three goals to batter the West Ham goal. With two distinct but equally elegant goals, Jones grabbed his first brace at Anfield by running at Mexican international Edson Alvarez whenever he had the chance.

In the first, he pretended to be in centre field and then rolled the ball at the near post between Alphonse Areola’s knees. His second had a strong run into the box and a forceful finish into the corner.

The 22-year-old local boy has occasionally struggled at a team that has the ability to sign players from all around the world. “We’ll have some fun with him,” is how Klopp has always viewed potential, and this was the ideal opportunity to highlight his eagerness to challenge individuals.

He wasn’t the only young local that attracted attention. As they held West Ham to nothing, Quansah looked every bit as skilled as his defensive partner, Virgil van Dijk. He also shown poise when passing the ball to Dominik Szoboszlai for the game’s first goal.

Midfielder Szoboszlai took aim from outside the penalty area and flashed his unstoppable effort beyond Alphonse Areola

Curtis Jones doubled the Reds’ lead after being released down the right-hand side and slotting a neat finish at the near post

Angelo Ogbonna failed to halt Jones’ charge and the homegrown favourite then slotted the ball through Areola’s open legs

Why West Ham gave the home team such an easy time is unclear given the booing of part of the travelling crowd during the game.

The Hammers are currently seventh in the Premier League and won the Europa League the previous season, ending their trophy drought, but opinions of Moyes among supporters remain divided, with some highlighting his animosity towards elite opponents.

Not that the Scot wanted to exaggerate his feelings after a difficult day at work. “We’re doing great,” Our goal is to pose a challenge to the best teams.

What kind of standards ought we to have? We had a difficult game tonight.

Even though the wind that had been plaguing Merseyside all afternoon on Wednesday afternoon died down before kickoff, Liverpool got off to an incredible start.

Before Dominik Szoboszlai made the ninth count just before thirty minutes had passed, they had already logged eight shots.

Cody Gakpo scored the home side’s third goal after cutting in on the edge of the box and smashing into the bottom corner

Mohamed Salah was introduced as a second-half substitute with Liverpool cruising and calmly buried their fourth goal

There was still time for Jones to notch a fifth, and his second of the night, after capitalising on slack defending to finish 

West Ham’s careless play gave Quansah the opportunity to step up and feed the Hungarian. The 22-year-old midfielder is known for his explosive shooting, but rather than chasing him down, Ben Johnson stayed back and let him find his area and blast into the corner.

Moyes seems satisfied to arrive at the interval lone behind. Cody Gakpo’s failed header from close range gave the Hammers the lead, but they refused to alter during the half and trailed 2-0 at the 56-minute mark.

Even though Darwin Nunez hasn’t scored in his in 11 games and was used wide on the left last night, The Kop continues to chant his name more loudly than anybody else. Nunez also made a significant impact by releasing Jones.

The England under-21 player looked up as if he was about to cross, then at the near post he managed to get his finish between Areola’s legs.

After the game, Klopp expressed his disappointment with Anfield’s lack of enthusiasm for their team, saying, “We will need them against Arsenal on Saturday.” Nevertheless, the atmosphere at Anfield was electrifying at 2-0.

After Moyes threw on the in-form Lucas Paqueta a little too late, Klopp responded by making three changes, including Trent Alexander-Arnold and Salah.

Harvey Elliott missed two opportunities to put his name on the scoresheet in the first half, but he nearly made it.

Everyone was eager to display their party favour. After 71 minutes, Gakpo made it 3-0 with a left-footed goal. 

After a short break, Jarrod Bowen—who had previously only been used for scraps—scored home from the edge of the box to give West Ham a point back and prove why Klopp thinks highly of him.

Jones and company loved the limelight, so there was no way Liverpool could have slept on their laurels.

After 82 minutes and one sitter previously missed, Salah made no mistake with a brilliant finish well inside the post to make it 4-1.

The finest was reserved for last, and Jones earned his share of the praise. With a flourish into the corner, he finished after putting his head down and watching the West Ham defence split.

Klopp remarked, “He (Jones) has this speed and tempo but doesn’t use it often enough.” Put another way, he’s a terrific fit for Liverpool’s starting eleven, but the role isn’t his yet.

Jarrod Bowen cut an isolated figure for the visitors but reduced the deficit after latching onto a long ball and bending home

Hammers manager David Moyes was visibly furious as his side were ruthlessly put to the sword on their way out of the cup