Liverpool v West Ham United
Carabao Cup third round, Anfield, Wednesday 25 September 2024, 8pm BST
Following Saturday’s disappointing Premier League defeat at home to Chelsea, West Ham United will be looking to kickstart a good run of form away at Liverpool in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday night.
Having seen off AFC Bournemouth 1-0 at the end of last month, the Hammers were dealt a tough task in the third round of a competition in which they have reached the final on two occasions, in 1965/66 and 1980/81, at a venue where their EFL Cup journey came to an end at the quarter-final stage last term.
West Ham have won at Anfield just once in our last 55 visits in all competitions, including three defeats in this competition. We were also defeated 2-1 by Liverpool in the aforementioned final replay at Villa Park in April 1981, having drawn 1-1 at Wembley.
However, it is not all bad news, as we defeated Liverpool 4-1 in the fourth round in November 1988, with Tony Gale scoring a sensational free-kick, and also got the better of the Reds at the Boleyn Ground (2-1) in the fourth round in October 1971.
Both clubs have new men in the dugout this season, with Liverpool appointing Dutchman Arne Slot from Feyenoord as the replacement for a manager who won this competition twice with the Reds in 2022 and 2024, Jürgen Klopp.
Overall, West Ham have not exactly lit it up at Anfield down the years, with just one win there since September 1963, but success here would push Julen Lopetegui’s men closer towards silverware and could stand them in good stead back in the league!
Tickets…
West Ham fans are advised that the Club’s allocation of 5,819 tickets sold out to Bondholders, Season Ticket Holders and Claret Members.
Travel…
If you are planning to take the train, direct services to Liverpool Lime Street depart London Euston at .43 minutes past the hour and arrive about two hours and 20 minutes later. Alternatively, the 15.02 departure requires a change at Crewe and takes two hours and 40 minutes in total to reach Lime Street.
However, you will not be able to take a train back to London after the match, so you will need to stay over and return south on the Thursday morning.
From Lime Street, bus service 917 departs from Commutation Row in the City Centre and takes around 15 minutes to reach Anfield. Fans can use the return service from Walton Lane after the match.
Alternatively, from Liverpool City Centre, take the 26 from Liverpool ONE bus station or 17 from Queen Square Bus Station directly to the ground. Or you could take a taxi!
If you are driving, the best option is to park in the city centre and take the 917 bus.
How To Follow…
West Ham United’s away match against Liverpool in the Carabao Cup has been selected for broadcast in the United Kingdom by Sky Sports.
If you live outside the UK, click HERE for details of EFL listings in your territory.
You can follow the action via our live blog on whufc.com and our app, and across our social media channels. We will also have highlights and exclusive reaction for you after the final whistle on our website and social media.
Live audio commentary will be available in the UK on BBC Radio 5 Live and worldwide on our official website and app.
On The Night...
Wednesday's Carabao Cup tie will be settled on the night at Anfield.
In the event that the scores remain level after 90 minutes, the match will go straight to penalties and there will be no extra-time played.
If the Irons do progress past the Reds, we will find out our fourth-round opponents soon after full-time, with the draw due to be held live on Sky Sports at around 10pm.
Team News…
Having made seven changes for West Ham’s previous outing in the Carabao Cup, a 1-0 win over Bournemouth in the second round, Head Coach Julen Lopetegui may once again look to give some wider members of his squad some game time on Merseyside.
Niclas Füllkrug will be assessed, after missing the Hammers’ previous two games through an injury he picked up on international duty, while the likes of Crysencio Summerville and Andy Irving will be looking to be involved after making their respective full West Ham and first-team debuts against Chelsea last time out.
For Liverpool, goalkeeper Alisson missed Saturday’s win over Bournemouth with a muscle issue and is a doubt. Harvey Elliott will be unavailable, due to an injury sustained during the September international break.
Opposition…
Jürgen Klopp might not be in the Liverpool dugout any longer, but it seems to be the same old story for Liverpool so far in 2024/25.
Klopp’s departure marked the end of a memorable era for the red half of Merseyside, with the Stuttgart native’s close-to nine years in charge propelling the 19-time English champions back among the European elite following an extended spell in the shadows.
Indeed, after inheriting a club that was languishing in tenth place in the top-flight standings following three trophyless seasons in October 2015, the 57-year-old duly departed this summer having inspired one Premier League title, one UEFA Champions League crown, an FA Cup, two EFL Cups, the Community Shield, a UEFA Super Cup and a FIFA Club World Cup.
The most recent of those trophy triumphs came in the Carabao Cup, in February 2024, a competition in which West Ham are now due to come up against the Reds under the management of Dutchman Arne Slot for the first time.
The 46-year-old arrived in Liverpool from Eredivisie side Feyenoord, where he spent three seasons and led the team to the league title in 2022/23 and the KNVB Cup last term. Before that, he had been in charge at AZ Alkmaar, who finished runners-up to Ajax in the cancelled 2019/20 Dutch top-flight campaign.
Though he has big shoes to fill, Slot has impressed in his brief tenure at the Reds’ helm so far. A three-match winning streak at the start of the Premier League season was brought to a halt by an unexpected home defeat to Nottingham Forest, though impressive 3-1 and 3-0 victories over AC Milan and Bournemouth in the Champions League and back in the Premier League have surely combatted any real concerns.
Though Italian forward Federico Chiesa was Liverpool’s sole incoming during the summer transfer window, Slot has plenty of talent to work with, with the like of Luis Díaz and Mohamed Salah firing already in 2024/25 with five and three goals to their name respectively from six appearances.
Though the season is long, the new boss will be aiming for success as quickly as possible, and with a chance to make an impression in a competition the club has won a record ten times, he will be itching for a positive result here.
Previous Meetings…
This clash in Merseyside will be the first meeting between West Ham United and Liverpool this season, with the Hammers looking to earn a first win over the Reds since a 3-2 home Premier League triumph in November 2021, when an Alisson own-goal and strikes from Pablo Fornals and Kurt Zouma settled the scoreline.
In 2023/24, the teams went head-to-head on three occasions, with a 2-2 draw in the league at London Stadium last time out in late April shining a brighter light than defeats on the road in the Premier League and in the Carabao Cup.
The Irons have never won at Anfield in the EFL Cup, albeit we have only played there three times in the competition’s 65-year history.
We lost there in a second-round replay in October 1973 (0-1) and again in the fifth round in January 1983 (1-2), before being thumped 5-1 in the fifth round in December last year as aforementioned, with Jarrod Bowen netting our consolation goal.
Our only victory there since September 1963 came in August 2015, when Manuel Lanzini, Mark Noble and Diafra Sakho all found the net in a 3-0 Premier League success for Slaven Bilić’s Irons. After that memorable win ended a 52-year wait, the Hammers drew on their next two visits but have not avoided defeat since.
That 3-0 win is also our largest margin of victory at Anfield, eclipsing the 3-1 First Division success achieved thanks to two goals from Jimmy Ruffell and one from fellow England international Vic Watson back in February 1928!
Match Officials…
Referee: Andrew Madley
Assistant Referees: James Mainwaring and Paul Hodskinson
Fourth Official: Leigh Doughty
Andrew Madley has been confirmed as the referee for West Ham United’s Carabao Cup third-round trip to Premier League rivals Liverpool on Wednesday night.
Originally from Huddersfield, the 41-year-old has been a part of Professional Game Match Officials Limited’s (PGMOL) Select Group One since 2019, having made his refereeing debut in the top flight during 2017/18.
He took charge of the 2015 and 2019 EFL League One Play-Off finals, won by Preston North End and Charlton Athletic respectively, while he held the whistle during May’s FA Cup final earlier this calendar year, which saw Manchester United defeat bitter rivals Manchester City 2-1.
2023/24 saw Madley referee in UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa Conference League qualifying, in international friendlies involving South Korea and Saudi Arabia, and Poland and Ukraine, as well as in three West Ham United fixtures, against Manchester City, Manchester United and Chelsea.
In total, he has taken charge of eight West Ham matches during his career, while so far in 2024/25 he has refereed just one game, between Sheffield United and Derby County in the EFL Championship this past weekend.
He was also the fourth official during Sunday's dramatic Premier League draw between Manchester City and Arsenal.
For more information about the officials, click HERE.
VAR will not be in use during this Carabao Cup clash.
