‘Will be Fēarful’ – National Media Makes Sçāry Federico Chiesa Point After Liverpool Win Over West Ham

The national media have reacted to Liverpool’s impressive 5-1 victory over West Ham United in the third round of the Carabao Cup, held at Anfield.

For the second consecutive season in the Carabao Cup, Liverpool delivered a commanding performance against West Ham United, securing a 5-1 win at home.

Cody Gakpo and Diogo Jota each netted twice, while Mohamed Salah added another goal, ensuring the Reds advanced to the fourth round of a tournament they have previously claimed 10 times.

Here’s a selection of highlights from various media outlets regarding what marked the most significant victory in Arne Slot’s early tenure at Liverpool.

The Daily Mail’s Kathryn Batte writes: “If anything told the tale of the contrasting starts Arne Slot and Julen Lopetegui have had in their new jobs, it was this.

“Liverpool had won five of their six games under Slot coming into this third round League Cup tie while West Ham had managed just one victory since Lopetegui took charge. After being booed off following their 3-0 defeat by Chelsea last weekend, the one thing the Hammers boss did not need was a heavy defeat.

“But what had been a spirited performance quickly turned embarrassing when Edson Alvarez saw red for a second bookable offence in the 75th minute. His dismissal came just after Mohammed Salah had made it 3-1, following a brace from Diogo Jota after Jarell Quansah’s own goal had given West Ham an early lead.

“Liverpool smelled blood and Lopetegui’s 10-men crumbled. Cody Gakpo added two goals in stoppage time to put the icing on the cake for Slot and heap more pressure on Lopetegui’s shoulders.”

Rich Jolly, of The Independent, scribes: “Last season, Jurgen Klopp described Diogo Jota as the best finisher at Anfield. If Arne Slot is yet to bestow such a compliment – and, more modest in his rhetoric, his praise of anyone so far has tended to be measured – he has installed the Portuguese as his first-choice No 9, a role he only had intermittently under the German. If Slot looked justified after the biggest win of his brief reign, this was a night when Klopp felt vindicated, too.

“Jota’s first double since January displayed his predatory instincts, elusive movement and capacity to make scoring look simple. As Liverpool came from behind to beat West Ham United, the catalyst was the one member of Slot’s first-choice team to start. Jota may have felt the outsider in a second-string side but he served as their rescuer after Jarell Quansah, continuing his inauspicious start to life under Slot, accidentally put the Hammers ahead.

“But Liverpool turned a deficit into a 3-1 win against AC Milan last week. Their powers of recovery were apparent again as Mohamed Salah, with one, and Cody Gakpo, with the second brace of the night, ensured history repeated itself. Last season, West Ham lost 5-1 at Anfield in the Carabao Cup.

“Slot has emulated Klopp in one respect and as the German went on to win the competition last year, he may hope for a repeat. Comparisons with the German are unavoidable, but some are enviable.

“Liverpool were comeback kings last season; across two midweeks, they have shown they have not lost the habit after all.”

Over on The Mirror’s pages, Chris McKenna writes: “The fact one of the Reds’ best players so far this season started in this competition suggests Arne Slot fancies bringing the Merseysiders back to Wembley. Mo Salah was brought off the bench to help secure the win and he duly did that with the third before Cody Gakpo got the fourth and fifth late on.

“It was an easy night for Slot and he couldn’t have hoped for it to have gone much better against a Hammers side, who ended the game with 10 men after a late sending off. There were changes and rotation as Slot planned but not a huge turn to youth. A mix of regulars and those who have regularly warmed the bench so far this season.

“It was enough to see off West Ham, who are now four games without a victory in all competitions. It’s not an easy start to life for Julen Lopetegui after replacing David Moyes in the summer.”

The Telegraph’s Chris Bascombe reflects on the strength of attacking options for Slot, writing: “For Slot, the security of a squad brimming with talent means he can indulge a fruitful Anfield rotation policy and heap fulsome praise on a different striker following every match.

“All the attention was on Mohamed Salah after Old Trafford, Cody Gakpo post-AC Milan, Luis Diaz every weekend this season and Darwin Nunez a few days ago. On this occasion, it was Diogo Jota, whose double gave the holders the platform to safely progress to face Brighton in the fourth round.

“Federico Chiesa made his first start, too. Rusty, but showing enough promise to suggest when a yard sharper, full-backs will be fearful. Even half-fit, the Italian claimed an assist.

“This is truly a billionaire’s inheritance for Slot, such luxuries guaranteeing wholesale changes do not diminish his firepower.

“Three goals a game is starting to look compulsory, Slot’s side notching at least that total in successive fixtures in the past eight days to send a warning they can attack on all fronts. They could have had more than their five here, Salah and Gakpo inflicting late, brutal punishment.”

And finally, Keifer MacDonald, in his ECHO analysis, writes of Chiesa: “The Anfield crowd would have been forgiven for assuming the Euro 2020 winner had been assigned a background role as he struggled to truly involve himself in the opening exchanges before Jarell Quansah’s own goal handed the Hammers a shock lead on 21 minutes.

“But the young defender’s misfortune acted as a casting call for Chiesa. And just moments later Liverpool had an equaliser from the courtesy of the former Juventus and Fiorentina man’s acrobatics as his side-facing half-volley landed at the head of Jota, who nodded home from close range.

“And just moments before half-time as the forward began to find his groove, the highlight reel of this eye-catching debut performance was well and truly being assembled as he schooled Hammers full-back Vladimir Coufal with a textbook nutmeg on the byline.

“As the first Italian to start a match for Liverpool since the end of Mario Balotelli’s ill-fated spell at the club in 2015, there were no lofty expectations for Chiesa as he stepped out for his full debut. But judging by the ovation that greeted his departure just before the hour mark, Chiesa will have no worries about treading the same path as his previous countryman at Anfield.”

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