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After a goalless first leg at Anfield last week, Liverpool traveled to London for the second leg of their EFL Cup semi-final clash with Arsenal on Thursday night.
The game at the Emirates was a winner-takes-it-all, do-or-die encounter. To the disappointment of the home supporters, Jurgen Klopp’s men came out on top convincingly, registering a 0-2 win to advance to the domestic cup final.
Liverpool will take on Chelsea in the summit clash in February.
Playing at home, Arsenal tried their best to put pressure on the Reds in the opening minutes. Their passing and movement made life difficult for the visitors and Gunners skipper Alexandre Lacazette even rattled the crossbar once.
At the peak of their torment, Liverpool striker Diogo Jota emerged as a beacon of hope. The Portuguese forward scored completely against the run of play, leaving Arsenal to rue their missed opportunities. The game turned on its head after the goal as the hosts failed to find purpose in their play.
The Merseyside giants continued their onslaught in the second half and eventually got their second of the night. In the 77th minute, the Jota struck again, taking the game out of Arsenal’s reach.
Here are five Liverpool players who went above and beyond to take them to their first final of the season:
#5 Caoimhin Kelleher
Liverpool’s second-choice shot-stopper Caoimhin Kelleher got a chance to impress at the Emirates, and boy did he make it count.
Kelleher’s biggest contribution came in the third minute when he deflected Alexandre Lacazette’s scorching free-kick onto the crossbar to deny Arsenal from breaking the deadlock.
If the top save was not enough, he was also excellent at sniffing out danger and did not hesitate with his outings when needed. A spotless performance by Alisson’s understudy at the Emirates.
#4 Fabinho
Former Monaco man Fabinho was omnipresent on the pitch for the Reds on Thursday night.
He pressed relentlessly, anchored the midfield well, and outmuscled the Arsenal midfielders without breaking a sweat.
The Brazilian’s tackle on Gabriel Martinelli in the first half was also inch-perfect and denied the Arsenal man a clear goalscoring opportunity.
Fabinho also drew a foul from Thomas Partey right in the dying moments of the match, which saw the Arsenal midfielder receive his marching orders.
Overall, the midfielder made two blocks, won eight duels, attempted five tackles and provided two long balls.
#3 Andrew Robertson
Since Jurgen Klopp’s appointment, Liverpool have been heavily reliant on their full-backs for inspiration, both in attack and defense.
Last night, left-back Andrew Robertson proved why the coach’s trust in his flying defenders isn’t misplaced.
Playing his 200th game for Liverpool, Robertson was up against Arsenal prodigy Bukayo Saka. The Scot used his experience to block two of Saka’s efforts in the first half and rarely let him out of sight in the second.
The full-back’s set-pieces made life difficult for Arsenal and his powerful effort in the 76th minute was not bad either.
Over the course of the match, Robertson had three clearances, three interceptions and attempted three tackles. He also won six duels, provided one key pass and put in one inviting cross into the area.
#2 Trent Alexander-Arnold
Over the course of the season, we have seen Trent Alexander-Arnold rediscover his best self, emerging as one of Liverpool’s most important players.
Last night, the Englishman proved once again why he is rated so highly and why he is in a league of his own. Alexander-Arnold provided two assists for the Reds on Thursday, taking his tally for the season to 15.
As always, it was difficult to restrict Alexander-Arnold to non-threatening areas. He surged ahead at will and slit the north London side open with his incisive passing.
In the 19th minute, the Liverpool academy man dashed into the midfield and played Jota through on goal for his side’s opener.
For the second goal, the 23-year-old played a long ball over the top of the Arsenal defense and Jota took care of the rest. A brilliant performance from start to finish.
#1 Diogo Jota
Having lost Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane to AFCON responsibilities, Liverpool needed one of their forwards to step up to the plate and deliver.
The team’s second-leading goalscorer for the season, Diogo Jota, has comfortably outshone Roberto Firmino to emerge as the Merseysiders’ messiah.
Against Arsenal, Jota scored on either side of half-time to take his team to the final, bagging the Man of the Match in the process. His first, in the 19th minute, was not the most convincing of strikes, but the way he beat defenders was nothing short of extraordinary.
The former Wolverhampton man could not get too much power behind the ball, but it was still enough to beat a blindsided Aaron Ramsdale.
The second goal, which served as the final nail on the coffin for Arsenal, was nothing short of sublime. After beating Ben White with a delicate touch, the Portuguese forward dinked the ball over Ramsdale to take his goal tally to 14 in all competitions.
Only Mohamed Salah (23) has more than the 25-year-old in the 2021-22 campaign.
