Liverpool secured their place in the Carabao Cup quarter-finals with a 3-2 victory over Brighton, driven by a stellar performance from Cody Gakpo, who scored twice to break the game open after a cagey first half.
After a goalless 45 minutes, Gakpo wasted no time, scoring just a minute into the second half. The Dutch forward cut inside and unleashed a stunning strike that left the Brighton goalkeeper no chance. The goal energized the game, and Liverpool’s debutant goalkeeper, Vitezslav Jaros, kept the momentum going with a brilliant one-handed save to deny Simon Adingra’s header shortly afterward.
Brighton’s Evan Ferguson responded with a chance of his own, narrowly firing over the bar. Liverpool nearly extended their lead with a three-on-one break, but Gakpo’s unselfish pass to Dominik Szoboszlai ended with a blocked shot from Brighton’s recovering defense.
However, Gakpo capitalized again on a defensive error by Tariq Lamptey, taking advantage of the lapse to sprint into the box unchallenged and slot in Liverpool’s second. Brighton fought back, and Adingra’s persistence paid off when he took advantage of a defensive misstep to pull one back for the hosts.
With Brighton fans rallying behind their team, Luis Diaz sealed the deal for Liverpool in the 81st minute, slipping a shot past the Brighton defense. Despite a late deflected goal from Lamptey, Liverpool held on to secure a 3-2 win, keeping their Carabao Cup hopes alive.
