Nunez and Elliott on target as Liverpool win 2-1

Jesus bags treble as Arsenal beat Palace 3-2

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Tonali ratings twice as Newcastle beat Brentford 3-1

(Updates with quotes, details)
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LONDON, Dec 18 (Reuters) -

Holders Liverpool reserved their berth in the League Cup semi-finals with a 2-1 success over Southampton at a wet and windy St Mary's Stadium on Wednesday, thanks to objectives from Darwin Nunez and Harvey Elliott.

Gabriel Jesus bagged a second-half hat-trick as Arsenal came from behind to beat Crystal Palace 3-2, and Sandro Tonali scored twice to lead Newcastle to a 3-1 win over Brentford.

Nunez, who had actually been goaded by Saints fans earlier in the game for a wild miss, got on the scoresheet in the 24th minute, striking after a mis-kick by centre back Jan Bednarek and a slip by keeper Alex McCarthy. Nunez put his finger to his lips in a gesture to the crowd after completing previous McCarthy.

Elliott doubled the Reds' lead eight minutes later on when he let loose a low, hard shot from Cody Gakpo's pass. Cameron Archer pulled one back for the home side in the 59th minute with a curling shot from simply inside the box.

"We entered this game understanding the circumstances that Southampton were going through and knew they were going to come out battling and we were ready for it," Elliott informed Sky sports betting.

The game was a tale of teams at opposite ends of the Premier League table, with Liverpool at the summit and Southampton-- who sacked manager Russell Martin following Sunday's 5-0 home loss to Tottenham Hotspur-- in last place with just one win.
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"We need to protect the prize due to the fact that the club won it last season, so we wish to compete in every league and this is one of them, so we more than happy that we reached the semi-final," said Reds supervisor Arne Slot, who watched the video game from the press box while serving a touchline restriction.

Palace had Arsenal reeling in the 4th minute when Jean-Philippe Mateta nudged aside Gunners protector Jakub Kiwior to acquire a long ball and side-foot home.
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But Arsenal completely dominated the second half and Jesus equalised in the 54th minute when Martin Odegaard sent a gorgeous through ball into the box and the Brazilian cracked the ball over Dean Henderson.

'SUCH QUALITY'
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Jesus, who had actually scored just when this season before Wednesday, netted his second in the 73rd minute when Bukayo Saka slipped the ball through for him to hammer home. He completed his hat-trick 8 minutes later when he ran onto a ball from Odegaard behind Palace's back line before firing previous Henderson.

"So happy for (Jesus). It's been an extended period for him without goals," Arsenal supervisor Mikel Arteta informed press reporters. "To score the three kinds of objectives and the numerous actions that he was involved in, it's a fantastic thing for the team that we can rely on a gamer with such quality."

Eddie Nketiah pulled one back for Palace late on when he jumped high to head home past David Raya.

At St James' Park, Tonali scored in the ninth minute when Nathan Collins' attempted clearance fell at his feet and he released a rocket from 20 lawns out-- his very first objective because his return in late-August from a 10-month ban for breaching wagering guidelines.
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Tonali volleyed home Anthony Gordon's cross from near the penalty area right before the break for his second goal, and their lead when Bruno Guimaraes sent a pass across the objective for Fabian Schar to tap home in the 69th.

"It was excellent to see Sandro score the 2 that he did," Newcastle boss Eddie Howe informed the BBC. "Just an actually excellent sensation about the group at the moment. We are integrating in self-confidence all the time."

Yoane Wissa pulled one back for Brentford in injury time however the game was well out of reach already.

The last semi-final location is up for grabs on Thursday when Tottenham Hotspur host Manchester United.

(Reporting by Lori Ewing Editing by Toby Davis)