Liverpool were without star player Mohamed Salah for their Carabao Cup semi-final tie with North London rivals Arsenal and the Reds were able to see off their opponents without the Egyptian international. Mo Salah is currently representing Egypt at the ongoing AFCON tournament and he has missed the last four Liverpool games in all competitions including the two legs of the last four tie with the Gunners in the Carabao Cup.Liverpool have won three and drawn one of the four games played since Mo Salah left the club for national team duty with the Pharaohs of Egypt. At the AFCON tournament in Cameroon, Salah has scored once in his three outings for his country.
For theirCarabao Cup semi-final first leg clash with Arsenal at home, Liverpool could not find the back of the net despite playing over an hour with ten. The Gunners had Swiss midfielder Granit Xhaka sent off in the 24th minute after he brought down Diogo Jota while he was through on goal. Japanese international star Takumi Minamino had the best chance of the game for the Reds and he blazed his shot over the bar with the goal gaping.
Liverpool didn’t do a good job in the first leg which ended in a goalless draw, but they were able to rectify this during the second leg at the home of the Gunners. The Merseyside giants recorded a 2-0 away win over Arsenal to secure their place in the Carabao Cup final this season. Jota was the star of the show after he scored a goal in each half to lead his team to the Wembley Stadium next month where they will face Chelsea.