Liverpool advanced to the Carabao Cup final with a 3-1 victory over Leicester City.
The hosts got off to a bad start when Kasey McAteer scored after only three minutes after Kostas Tsimikas was dispossessed.
However, Cody Gakpo restored parity early in the second half with a shot on the turn as Jurgen Klopp’s side resumed their domination.
Substitute Dominik Szoboszlai’s incredible long-range shot that cannoned in off the crossbar gave the Reds the lead in the closing 20 minutes.
Diogo Jota added a third goal in the final stages of normal time, beating Jakub Stolarczyk after Jarell Quansah set him up.
Klopp’s team will now travel to Bournemouth in the fourth round next month.
Anfield’s primary talking points were as follows:
Klopp’s cavalry completes the mission
Liverpool’s Carabao Cup trip promised to be a roller-coaster ride after falling down after only three minutes and leveling by the same margin in the second half.
After conceding an early goal to a Leicester City squad that had not won at Anfield since the turn of the millennium, Jurgen Klopp’s side produced plenty of chances.
But the Reds’ boss refused to risk a public disgrace.
With Ben Doak falling short and Ryan Gravenberch’s race appearing over by the 65th minute, Klopp dispatched the calvary.
The joint entrance of Dominik Szoboszlai and Darwin Nunez provided a much-needed energy for the hosts, who went on to win this third round tie handily.
The Hungary captain’s typical wonder strike in front of The Kop changed the balance, but Nunez’s new wave of pressing was also crucial.
If the pair were unable to turn the tables on their Championship counterparts, Klopp had Alexis MacAllister and Luis Diaz in reserve.
They weren’t needed, due to Szoboszlai and Nunez’s breakout performances.
Jones: TAA’s ideal backup?
Klopp’s inspired replacements were reactive, but he deserves full credit for taking a more creative approach to Trent Alexander-Arnold’s absence.
If not for injury, the England international would have been one of many first-team regulars given the night off from this Carabao Cup match.
However, Alexander-Arnold’s transformation into a hybrid midfielder was so outstanding that Klopp felt confident enough to try a similar experiment with Curtis Jones.
The midfielder was entrusted with not just leading by example as captain for the evening, but also mirroring the traits his teammate at full-back possesses.
Jones handled Leicester’s robuts charges with ease, switching between defensive duties and a more natural habitat in the attacking third.
There will still be some glitches to work out before the 22-year-old can truly take the job as Alexander-Arnold’s understudy.
However, the Toxteth native’s first impressions are very positive.
The Reds’ new normal is comebacks
This current effort also reaffirmed Liverpool’s title as the reigning comeback champions.
Rallying displays after trailing have become something of a hallmark of Klopp’s tenure, with his charges living up to their moniker as “mentality monsters.”
As they flipped a one-goal reversal for the sixth time in eight games across all competitions, these turnarounds are fast becoming the new normal.
All but one of those games ended 3-1, with Leicester being the fourth team to fall victim to Liverpool in a row this month.
Extending such tenacity into a fifth consecutive game at Tottenham on Saturday would be a big order, given their hosts’ blistering start to the season.
Ange Postecoglou’s teams are unlikely to concede goals as willfully as Leicester City, West Ham United, Europa League opponents LASK and Wolves did.
However, the never-say-die spirit that has been instilled in Liverpool’s locker room is proof that they have once again made victory from adversity an art form.