It was a rainy, hurricane-like evening at Vitality Stadium. The Reds battled and emerged victorious against a gritty Bournemouth in the Carabao Cup. After Justin Kluivert equalized the game with a lovely finish, Darwin Nunez scored a terrific effort from just beyond the box, that will go down as a top Liverpool goal of 2023-24. A 2-1 lead that Liverpool would hold on to in harsh conditions. Here are 4 takeaways from Liverpool’s win.
Gametime was needed
There were 7 potentials starters who started today versus Bournemouth, a Carabao Cup game usually consists of younger players getting needed game time but Jurgen Klopp insisted they stay sharp and ready.
With difficult conditions, It was not easy to create opportunities and chances. Cody Gakpo got Liverpool off to a good start with a tap in.
Throughout the last couple of games, Liverpool have been leading at the start of matches, which is huge compared to being down so early which happened at the beginning of the year.
Fullback depth is an issue
With 3 true fullback options on the roster, Klopp needs to look for more depth in the transfer market.
The season is tremendously long and Kostas Tsimikas and Joe Gomez are solid backups but not true starters. Gomez has been rejuvenated and trusted by Klopp with his recent efforts.
His lack of pace hurts but his consistency is outstanding. Liverpool have been linked to Bayern Munich left-back Alphonso Davies for €45 million. Can he be the Robertson successor for the Kop?
Darwin Nunez needs to start consistently
Nunez has been a huge spark plug for Liverpool this season. His pace and aerial skill has defined his perfect moments.
Nunez ranks first for Liverpool in Goals per 90 minutes with .86, which is .3 more than Mohamed Salah. His sublime curling effort gave Liverpool the lead and the win on this day.
A few years back he started slowly at Benfica with 6 goals in 29 matches, but scored 26 goals in 28 matches the year after. Are we experiencing the Darwin Nunez breakout season right now?
Jarell Quansah is here to stay
Jurgen Klopp said that Quansah was the man of the match against Bournemouth. Quansah completed a team high, 86 passes on the day.
His composed and consistent efforts were displayed all over the pitch. Winning 67% of his ground duels, Quansah also completed 2 successful dribbles. With Virgil Van Dijk mentoring him, is it possible we can see another world class defender in the future?
There were plenty of positives to take from this win and moving into the Carabao Cup Quarterfinals.