Liverpool might’ve advanced to the quarter-finals of the Carabao Cup on Wednesday night, but not quite everything went to plan for Jurgen Klopp’s side.
The 2-1 triumph away to Bournemouth will be recalled for Darwin Nunez’s sensational curled winner and the monsoon weather conditions in which the game was played.
The effects of Storm Ciaran were evident not just to the hardy souls who attended but to anyone watching the match, and as relayed by Paul Gorst on social media, it led to a late change of plan in terms of the Reds’ itinerary.
Shortly before 10pm last night, the journalist posted: “Told Liverpool’s flight back to Merseyside has been cancelled this evening due to Storm Ciaran”, with a subsequent update just after 11pm of: “Liverpool have had to drive home tonight as a result of the weather”.
Told Liverpool’s flight back to Merseyside has been cancelled this evening due to Storm Ciaran.
— Paul Gorst (@ptgorst) November 1, 2023
Liverpool have had to drive home tonight as a result of the weather and I reckon they'll be past The Rocket before this draw is done.
— Paul Gorst (@ptgorst) November 1, 2023
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With the journey between Bournemouth and Liverpool taking nearly five hours by road even before allowing for adverse weather conditions, Klopp and his squad will understandably have been very weary by the time they returned home.
The 11th-hour change of plan (literally and figuratively) would also have had a disruptive sense, but with the storm clearly making flying too dangerous, safety had to be prioritised.
Thankfully, the Reds don’t play again until 4:30pm on Sunday, so at least they’ve avoided one of the numerous quick turnarounds to which they’ve already been subjected this season.
Both the match itself and the travel plans afterwards were far from straightforward due to the weather, but at least now Liverpool can switch their attention towards keeping the winning run going in the Premier League when they face Luton at the weekend.