Substitute Darwin Nunez scored a stunner as Liverpool overcame Bournemouth to reach the quarter-finals of the Carabao Cup.
The Uruguayan striker cut in from the left and picked his spot perfectly for the 70th-minute finish, curling the ball with plenty of pace into the top right corner beyond a despairing Ionut Radu.
Cody Gakpo had put Liverpool in front in the first half when he pounced to poke home from close range after Harvey Elliott’s volley was parried into his path.
But Bournemouth levelled through Justin Kluivert as he netted his first goal for the club since joining from Roma in the summer. He emerged unmarked at the far post to head home an Alex Scott corner in the 64th minute.
The hosts committed everything to attack during the final 15 minutes. David Brooks and Hamed Traore chanced their arm, but neither could muster an attempt as the Cherries failed to level for a second time.
Liverpool will take on Premier League rivals West Ham, who beat Arsenal 3-1 in the fourth round, in the quarter-finals at Anfield.
Cherries focus turns to league survival
Bournemouth are still getting to grips with the philosophy of manager Andoni Iraola, who replaced Gary O’Neil over the summer.
Saturday’s 2-1 win against newly promoted Burnley – their first victory of the campaign – was badly needed to move them one point clear of the bottom three.
As enjoyable as a run in the EFL Cup can be, Bournemouth cannot afford to get distracted from the main priority of retaining their spot in the top-flight for a third successive season.
The road ahead may still be long and arduous for the Cherries but there were some positives to take from their loss to Liverpool.
With the wind and rain swirling around the Vitality Stadium as Storm Ciaran hit, Bournemouth went toe-to-toe with their visitors in the opening 45 minutes – each side registered four shots on target.
Kluivert was responsible for two of those efforts and the Dutch forward will have been pleased to finally get on the scoresheet in Bournemouth colours.
Midfielder Scott, another summer arrival from Bristol City, also caught the eye and he was inches away from scoring directly from a corner as he used the conditions to whip in a ball that Joe Gomez had to clear off the line.
