Liverpool overcame another test as they beat Brighton in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday.
The Reds are in the middle of a tough run of games but have so far really come out swinging.
Wins over Chelsea and RB Leipzig have already been recorded, with Sunday’s draw at Arsenal a good result for Liverpool, too.
Wednesday’s cup game always looked likely to be one the Reds could lose, though. They do not have a good recent record at Brighton and this being the Carabao Cup, it seemed certain that Arne Slot would rotate his team.
In the end, that’s of course exactly what happened. Slot made eight changes from the side which drew with Arsenal.
Ultimately, a win and progress to the quarter finals showcased the strength within the Liverpool squad. And speaking after the game, Slot gave a nod to those who had come in from the cold.
Arne Slot praises rotated Reds
It took Jurgen Klopp a long time to really get to grips with how best to approach the Carabao Cup.
Once the German got it, though, Liverpool were unstoppable. The Reds won the trophy twice in Klopp’s final three seasons in charge.
And Slot has carried on from where his predecessor left off, sweeping aside two decent Premier League teams with half-baked XI’s so far.
It wasn’t all good from Liverpool, with Jarell Quansah having a slightly difficult night, but by and large the changes made were good ones.
READ MORE: Liverpool’s Carabao Cup player ratings against Brighton
Asked about what he ‘liked’ about the display post-match by LFCTV, the Liverpool head coach said that the style of football by his second-string team was the best thing about the game.
“What I liked was that we saw a similar performance than when we play with the ones we mostly play,” Slot responded.
“We changed a few players but to see how comfortable they played and how well they played a similar style as the others was what pleased me the most I think.”
Who stood out for Liverpool?
It’s easy to see why this is something that would really please Slot about Wednesday’s game.
Often these cup games can be stodgy and tense affairs as rotated teams struggle to find any kind of rhythm. But that was not true about Liverpool on the South Coast.
It probably helped that there were players in the line-up who have featured a lot this season. The likes of Cody Gakpo, who scored two excellent goals, Dominik Szoboszlai, Curtis Jones and Andy Robertson have been regular starters.
But players such as Tyler Morton – who kept things ticking over well in midfield – and Conor Bradley, who had a mixed evening on the whole, were also important.
Vitezslav Jaros delivered a star turn as well, to ensure that Liverpool kept their standards up while beating a team who have started the season in excellent shape.
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