Defending champions Liverpool secured their place in the League Cup semi-finals with a 2-1 victory over managerless Southampton, while Gabriel Jesus ended his goal drought with a hat-trick in Arsenal’s thrilling 3-2 win over Crystal Palace on Wednesday.
At St Mary’s, Liverpool’s rare goals from Darwin Núñez and Harvey Elliott sent the 10-time League Cup winners into the last four for a record 20th time. With several key players rested, including Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk, manager Arne Slot watched from the stands as his side triumphed. Núñez broke his six-game goal drought with a 24th-minute finish, while Elliott doubled the lead in the 32nd minute with a well-placed shot.
Cameron Archer gave Southampton hope with a stunning strike in the 59th minute, but despite protests for a late penalty, they couldn’t equalise. Slot praised the performance of his understudies, who handled the game with confidence. “It was a very good and important win,” Slot said after the match.
At the Emirates, Arsenal’s Gabriel Jesus found his scoring form, netting a first-half hat-trick in a 3-2 win over Crystal Palace. Jesus had been struggling with a goal drought, but his clinical display put Arsenal back on track following their disappointing 0-0 draw with Everton. After an early Palace goal, Jesus equalised in the 54th minute with a composed chip and then scored two more in quick succession to seal his hat-trick. Palace’s Eddie Nketiah scored a late header, but it was too little, too late.
In another quarter-final, Newcastle United triumphed 3-1 against Brentford, with Sandro Tonali scoring twice to guide the Magpies closer to emulating their 2023 final run. The last remaining quarter-final will see Tottenham face Manchester United on Thursday.
