Marco Silva names the two Liverpool players who really hurt Fulham last night
Jurgen Klopp‘s side had to come from behind to get the win yesterday. They were made to work hard by Fulham, but Gakpo and Nunez’s introduction in the second half changed the game.
Marco Silva says Liverpool duo Cody Gakpo and Darwin Nunez hurt Fulham
Liverpool were the favourites to win the game last night, but Fulham were actually the better side for large parts of the first half.
The Lilywhites even took the lead through Willian, who capitalised on a mistake by Virgil van Dijk. Fulham could’ve then doubled their lead too, but Bobby De Cordova-Reid chose the wrong option.
That was probably the turning point in the game as soon after, Liverpool equalised thanks to a deflected strike from Curtis Jones.
It was substitute Darwin Nunez who assisted the midfielder, and the Uruguayan did the same thing three minutes later as he set up Cody Gakpo to score the winner.
Marco Silva had his say after the game, and he feels Fulham were in control until Gakpo and Nunez were introduced. However, once they came in, they caused his side all sorts of problems.
He told Sky Sports: “I think it went really well first half. Our block was lower than normal, but we controlled almost everything from them. We know that, without space behind us, we could control it much better because every time they have space, with the pace of the attacking players, they can punish you.
“The second half was slightly different as they started to push out a bit more. When you have the capacity to go to the bench and put Darwin and Gakpo on, from that moment, they started to create more problems for us.”
Nunez and Gakpo changed the game
Liverpool started with a front three of Luis Diaz, Diogo Jota and Harvey Elliott last night, and that didn’t quite work, did it?
Yes, all three of them are terrific players, but against Fulham yesterday, especially in the first half, they didn’t look as threatening as Klopp would’ve liked them to be.
Once the Liverpool boss brought on Gakpo and Nunez, however, everything changed. The Dutchman scored the winner while the latter assisted twice and could’ve scored two himself.
In the return leg later this month, we won’t be surprised at all if Klopp decides to start both Nunez and Gakpo to kill the game very quickly.
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‘Doesn’t look great’… Jurgen Klopp says one Liverpool player was absolutely shattered after Fulham game
The 20-year-old produced a classy performance and was even named the Player of the Match. He gave everything last night, and unsurprisingly, he was shattered at the end of the game.
Jurgen Klopp says Liverpool’s Conor Bradley was exhausted last night
Conor Bradley started just his second game of the season last night as Liverpool beat Fulham 2-1 in the first leg of the semi-final of the Carabao Cup.
Cody Gakpo and Darwin Nunez’s impact off the bench will make the headlines as they were brilliant, but young Bradley had an amazing game too.
He was great on the ball, solid without it, and most importantly, he worked tirelessly for his side from the first minute until the very last.
Jurgen Klopp gave him a big hug on the pitch after the game, and you could see just how tired the 20-year-old was at that point.
The German raved about Bradley after the game and revealed that he was absolutely shattered after what was a really ‘intense’ 90 minutes.
Klopp said, as per Liverpool’s official website: “I told him before the game already I was waiting for that moment that we can give him the opportunity. I was really waiting for it because when he got injured in pre-season, my opinion about him was already here [high] and then he was out for a pretty long time.
“A top boy. Today was pretty intense for him. Somebody has to drive him home hopefully because he really is sitting in the dressing room and doesn’t look great! He gave his absolute everything and it’s just so nice to see, it’s really so nice to see.”
On Sky Sports, the German added: “He will sleep well tonight. I’m not sure he makes it home, he will probably fall asleep in the dressing room.
“Exceptional. Wonderful, fantastic character, a real talent with top potential, and he is in the right team because everybody loves him and respects him and wants him to succeed.”
A look at Conor Bradley’s stats vs Fulham
Conor Bradley played the full 90 minutes for only the second time this season last night.
The Liverpool youngster had a solid game across the pitch. He had 87 touches of the ball and completed 49 of his 56 attempted passes, maintaining a healthy 88 per cent passing accuracy.
He also registered two key passes, one of which was a huge chance for Darwin Nunez to score, but the Uruguayan was denied by Bernd Leno.
To add to the above, Bradley made six tackles and an interception in his 90 minutes yesterday (Sofascore), and we think he completely deserved his Player of the Match award.
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