Here is your Liverpool morning digest for Saturday, January 22.
Mikel Arteta makes 'lucky' Liverpool claim
Mikel Arteta believes Liverpool benefited from 'a bit of luck' in securing a Wembley final – as he lifted the lid on Arsenal’s selection nightmare.
Diogo Jota scored in each half as the Reds earned a 2-0 win at the Emirates in their Carabao Cup semi-final second leg on Thursday to progress by the same score on aggregate.
Liverpool will now face Chelsea in the final on February 27 as they aim to win the competition for a record ninth time.
And Arteta was left to rue a missed opportunity for his team, who ended the game with 10 men after substitute Thomas Partey – who only arrived in London earlier in the day from the Africa Cup of Nations – was sent off late on for two bookable offences.
“I’m disappointed because when you have the final one game away, you have that level of excitement and you are really looking forward to it,” said the Arsenal boss.
READ MORE: Liverpool warned by Martin Atkinson as X-rated outburst greets Arsenal defeat in Carabao Cup
READ MORE: Jurgen Klopp admits Fabinho 'proper knock' as Joel Matip injury scare confirmed at Liverpool
“We did everything we could to put a competitive team out, and we had our moments in the game against a top side, in the first half certainly.
“We had chances and hit the bar, and in the second half at the beginning the same thing, but you have to score.
“When that happens, that’s the difference. The first time they got beyond the halfway line they scored a goal with a bit of luck and that changes the tie.
“The second goal, we gave the ball away in a dangerous area and when they can attack your space between full-back and centre-back with one pass, that’s extremely dangerous because they have the quality to finish the game off.”
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Jurgen Klopp reveals Liverpool 'project' player
Jurgen Klopp has praised Liverpool youngsters Curtis Jones and Caoimhin Kelleher after both impressed in the win over Arsenal.
Klopp revealed last week that he was using tough love to help Jones realise his full potential and kick on in the Reds’ first-team.
The Liverpool boss opened up on how he had become so concerned about Jones’s failure to kick-on this season that he had spoken to him at length to remind him of the quality he possesses.
Jones has made great strides in the three years since Klopp handed him his debut in an FA Cup tie at Wolves, and impressed against the Gunners at the Emirates.
"You win a football game, a difficult one, you only can win it because a lot of players obviously performed really well. And, yes, Curtis was really good last two games, yes," Klopp replied when asked if he was pleased with Jones' response.
"I know him for a long time now and I am one of his biggest fans, to be honest. From the first day when I saw him I can pretty much remember when the Talent Group trained at Melwood on a side pitch, I looked out of my office and I saw him there and thought, ‘Oof, wow!’ The next question was, ‘How old is he?’ I think he was 15 at the time but was already clearly a massive talent.
“Talents need to work and he is doing that work. Talents need to learn the game, he’s doing that every day and trying that every day. Sometimes they need a little push and Curtis looks like he is that guy.
"Not that he is not concentrated or whatever; let me say not ‘pushed’, it’s a response, a proper response and then he can have that much more often if he wants.
"If his response is then like this, absolutely fine. Again, we couldn’t have won that game with bad individual performances and he was one of them, so he performed really well."
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