"How long until Nunez wins his first Ballon d'Or" - Twitter explodes as Liverpool defeat Bournemouth 2-1 in EFL Cup tie
Liverpool beat Bournemouth 2-1 at the Vitality Stadium to secure their spot in the EFL Cup quarter-finals.
By halftime, the home crowd's frustration was palpable as Bournemouth trailed Liverpool 1-0. Despite having their share of opportunities, with Ryan Christie and Justin Kluivert nearly putting the game in the hosts' favor, it was the Reds who found themselves ahead.
Cody Gakpo's 31st-minute strike separated the two sides by the half-time whistle. Illia Zabarnyi intervened on the initial cross but couldn't prevent Harvey Elliott from lashing a left-footed shot across the goal. Although Bournemouth's keeper Ionut Radu parried an initial deflection off Gakpo, the Dutch ace was quick to react and tap in the rebound from point-blank range.
But then, 64 minutes in, Bournemouth leveled the score. Alex Scott delivered a menacing inswinging corner that wreaked havoc in Liverpool's box. Kluivert seized the moment, drifting towards the far post to nod home an easy header.
Yet it was Darwin Nunez who stole the spotlight. Receiving a pass from Trent Alexander-Arnold, he initially controlled it poorly but cut back inside, and from the corner of the box, curled a jaw-dropping right-footer into the top-right corner. This put the Reds back on top, sealing a 2-1 victory.
X (formerly Twitter) instantly erupted following the win, with one fan demanding:
"How long until Nunez wins his first Ballon d'Or?"
Here is a selection of the best tweets:
Young Liverpool defender Jarell Quansah impresses manager Jurgen Klopp
Twenty-year-old centre-back Jarell Quansah delivered a Man of the Match performance in Liverpool's recent EFL Cup victory over Bournemouth. This prompted admiration from his manager Jurgen Klopp.
In just his seventh appearance of the season, Quansah was nothing short of brilliant. He managed an impressive 89 percent passing accuracy and 114 touches, more than any other player on the rain-soaked pitch. According to Klopp, Quansah's performance was nothing short of revelatory (via This is Anfield):
“Was he the man of the match? [He was] mine. A really good game, wow. He loved it. I told him now, he was really over the moon about the game. He was concentrated, strong in the tackles, reading the game super well. We gave him the ball a lot, he had to do a lot with the ball."
Liverpool will next be in action against Luton Town in the Premier League on Sunday, November 5.