While Mohamed Salah left with Egypt, another Liverpool star carries them on his back

Liverpool and Fulham have once again delivered a competitive game at Anfield. The first leg of the semifinal of the Carabao Cup started terribly before a ball wasn't even kicked. Trent Alexander Arnold was sidelined due to a knee injury he got from the FA Cup game against Arsenal last Sunday.

Liverpool replaced Trent with 20-year-old right-back Conor Bradley, who had a great cameo against Arsenal at the Emirates. Liverpool also started the game with a front three of Luiz Diaz, Jota, and Elliot on the right.

The game started poorly for Liverpool as they conceded in the 19th minute due to a Willian strike inside the box. The Liverpool defense was all over the place before the goal, as even Van Dijk struggled to keep the ball away from the box.

A slip by Bradley let Willian continue his run in the box, and the indecisive pair of Konate and Van Dijk watched as Willian struck the ball past Kelleher. Fulham generated dangerous chances throughout the first half, which was concerning for Jurgen Klopp`s side.

The second half was much better by the Reds as Gravneberch would take on a couple of Fulham players to then shoot wide. Elliot takes a shot from a far distance, and the ball falls to Jota, who takes too long to shoot.

Darwin Nunez and Cody Gakpo would be substituted into the game in the 56th minute, replacing Gravenberch and Elliot, respectively. The attack improved drastically as Nunez`s pace kept the Fulham defense on their toes. Nunez would help influence the comeback by assisting Curtis Jones, who took a shot from outside the box and deflected into the net!

Only three minutes later, Nunez would be played a great ball by Jota at the edge of the box. The Uruguayan would cross the ball into the box to Gakpo, who finished the chance and completed the comeback to make it 2-1 to Liverpool in 5 minutes!

Nunez would almost score the third goal for Liverpool late in the game, but Leno would make a great save with his leg. The game ended 2-1 to Liverpool, and the Reds had a great head start before the second leg, which will be played at the Craven Cottage.

The two sides will play on January 24th, with Liverpool leading 2-1 on aggregate. The quadruple for Liverpool is still truly alive, and many Liverpool fans thank Nunez for his impactful performance in the absence of Mo Salah and Trent Alexander Arnold.