The Reds’ forwards’ impressive finishing allowed them to secure a spot in the final eight.

Darwin Nunez saved Liverpool’s bacon with a stunning goal against Bournemouth to win the Carabao Cup 2-1 and advance the Reds to the quarterfinals. It was far from an easy one for the visitors as Bournemouth fought hard and put them under plenty of pressure, especially in the second half. Jurgen Klopp’s squad made it four wins in a row in all competitions.

Following Cody Gakpo’s close-range goal, which was the result of a rebound, the Cherries did not give up and threw a lot of pressure on goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher for the full ninety minutes. In the windy conditions, he made five stops, but he was unable to handle a corner in the second half, which allowed Justin Kluivert to equalize with a straightforward header at the back post.

Nevertheless, with 20 minutes remaining, Darwin, the substitute, stunned everyone by making a beautiful curling effort that put the Merseyside club back in the driver’s seat. While Mohamed Salah had a quiet evening overall, Klopp’s significantly altered starting lineup featured players like Joel Matip, Jarell Quansah, and Harvey Elliott, all of whom looked good throughout the game.

GOAL rates Liverpool’s players from Vitality Stadium…

Goalkeeper & Defence

Caoimhin Kelleher (6/10):

Pulled off some quality saves to delay Bournemouth’s seemingly imminent equaliser, but did not look good for the goal.

Joe Gomez (6/10):

Looked shaky defensively early on but had a great clearance off of the line and offered support high up.

Joel Matip (7/10):

Strong in the centre of defence with some key interventions.

Jarell Quansah (8/10):

At ease on the ball, smart in his passing and was solid defensively.

Kostas Tsimikas (5/10):

Left too much space behind him to let Bournemouth attack.

Midfield

Harvey Elliott (7/10):

Always lively and eager to get on the ball and raise the tempo of Liverpool’s moves. Important in the goal and could have got the opener earlier on but his shot was too weak.

Wataru Endo (5/10):

Decent passes but did not create enough.

Curtis Jones (6/10):

Rarely gave the ball away with his quality passes and fought hard in midfield.

Attack

Mohamed Salah (5/10):

Linked up well at times but overall was quiet and ineffective.

Cody Gakpo (7/10):

Alert enough and perfectly placed to tap in the opening goal in a bright performance.

Dominik Szoboszlai (6/10):

Had one shot go just wide and looked good at times but is capable of so much more.

Subs & Manager

Trent Alexander-Arnold (6/10):

Came on to restore some stability and control in a tough second half and it was his pass that found Darwin for the goal.

Darwin Nunez (7/10):

Recovered well from his awful first touch to curl in a gorgeous winner.

Alexis Mac Allister (6/10):

Helped bolster the midfield with Bournemouth pressing hard in the second half.

Ryan Gravenberch (5/10):

On for the last 15 minutes but did not get many touches.

Diogo Jota (N/A):

Replaced Gakpo late on.

Jurgen Klopp (7/10):

His team got the job done but let Bournemouth put them under a great deal of pressure. Made some smart changes that gave his team a bit more control, though.