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Liverpool fans were disappointed with Joe Gomez's performance in their 3-2 loss against Manchester City in the Round of 16 in the EFL Cup on Thursday (December 22).
The Reds came into the match at the Etihad with a rather depleted squad due to injuries and players being absent after the FIFA World Cup. They were on the back foot from the start and Erling Haaland gave Manchester City the lead in the 10th minute. Fabio Carvalho restored parity in the 20th minute.
Riyad Mahrez then scored for City in the 47th minute before Mohamed Salah equalized within 90 seconds. Nathan Ake finally scored the winner for the hosts in the 58th minute.
Gomez started alongside Joe Matip in defense for Liverpool with Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate absent. He made just one clearance, one tackle, and one interception in the game. He just won one of his duels and lost possession 15 times.
The English defender's poor performance against Manchester City saw the Reds take to Twitter to vent their frustrations. Here are some of their reactions:
Gomez, 25, joined Liverpool from Charlton in 2015. He has since played 160 games for the club and even contributed six assists. He could make way for Van Dijk though when they resume their Premier League campaign on Boxing Day (December 26) away against Aston Villa.
Jurgen Klopp on the level of Liverpool's clash against Manchester City in the Carabao Cup
The EFL Cup match was both sides' first competitive game after the FIFA World Cup break. However, the game flowed well with good intensity as both teams pushed to progress to further rounds.
Speaking on the level of the game, Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp told the club's website:
"I didn’t really think about it. I know that for us it’s always like this; obviously City, from time to time but only when we are really on top of our game then it’s possible, because in the game it’s always like this: it’s like we push each other always in the games to the next level."
He added:
"There were spells – City better, us better. I didn’t really think about how good it can be but I saw the game as well. It was really good."
Manchester City will face Southampton in the quarterfinals of the Carabao Cup.
