Liverpool booked their FA Cup fifth round place with a convincing 5-2 win over Norwich City
On Friday morning, Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp announced that he will leave the club at the end of the current season, ending an almost-nine-year reign at Anfield.
It had to happen at some point in our lives, and it was now over 48 hours since his interview, but it still feels impossible. The idea of Jurgen Klopp and Liverpool not being together in the modern day feels wrong. A sort of dystopian nightmare.
But, just like life, continuity is important in football. Things change, and this isn’t a piece on Klopp, but rather an FA Cup fourth round match against Norwich City, so I’ll keep the many tributes to one side for now.
The boss named five changes from the side that drew 1-1 with Fulham in midweek, booking their spot in the EFL Cup final. A full Liverpool debut was awarded to James McConnell, who started in midfield alongside fellow academy graduate Curtis Jones and Dutch international Ryan Gravenberch.
It didn’t long for the debutant to make an impact – just 15 minutes to be precise. McConnell floated a beautiful pass from the right-hand side for Jones to guide into the far corner via his head. Liverpool led early after a number of early opportunities.
What wasn’t in the script was Norwich City’s equalising goal just six minutes later. Ben Gibson rose high from a corner delivered by Gabriel Sara to head home the leveller.
Six minutes for the Canaries to equalise, six minutes for Liverpool to retake their advantage as Darwin Nunez finished off an excellent counter-attack led by Conor Bradley, who was still deputising for Trent Alexander-Arnold. The 20-year-old full-back is certainly making a name for himself.
Heading into the second half, Klopp’s side (and yes, I will be calling them that at any given opportunity from now until the end of the season) looked to increase the advantage they held over the visitors.
It didn’t take long for Diogo Jota to do exactly that, as he capitalised on the mistake by Ben Gibson, before rifling the ball into the far bottom corner.
There was a return for Andy Robertson, who hadn’t played for Liverpool since October. Dominik Szoboszlai also returned to action when he was subbed on for Curtis Jones.
A fourth soon followed courtesy of the substitute Virgil van Dijk, whose towering header from the penalty spot gave Liverpool a 4-1 lead, and an almost-certain ticket into the fifth round of the FA Cup. Szoboszlai with the assist on his comeback.
Trent Alexander-Arnold was introduced as well for his first bit of action since sustaining his injury during Liverpool’s 2-0 win at Arsenal in the third round of the competition.
A beautiful curling effort from Norwich’s 22-year-old Borja Sainz brought the scoreline back to a two-goal deficit for the visitors. Game on at Anfield.
James McConnell’s outstanding full Liverpool debut was brought to an unfortunate early end as the midfielder was substituted off injured for Luis Diaz. It’s unknown as of yet the extent of how serious the injury is.
Liverpool’s five-star performance was topped off with Ryan Gravenberch’s first goal since bagging in the Reds’ 5-1 demolition of Toulouse back in October. The goal was assisted by Conor Bradley, his second assist of the game.
A 5-2 win and a spot in the fifth round of the FA Cup where Liverpool will play either Southampton or Watford at Anfield.
The next match for the Reds is on Wednesday evening as they welcome Mauricio Pochettino’s Chelsea to Anfield in the Premier League. Kick-off is at 8.15pm on 31 January.
Liverpool team: Alisson, Bradley, Konate (Van Dijk 55), Quansah, Gomez (Robertson 55), Gravenberch, McConnell (Diaz 79), Jones (Szoboszlai 55), Jota, Nunez (Alexander-Arnold 66), Gakpo.
Norwich City team: Long, Stacey, Hanley (Sorensen 62), Gibson, McCallum (Giannoulis 83), Fassnacht (Gibbs 84), Nunez, McLean, Sara, Hernandez (Sainz 61), Barnes (Idah 62).
Read More Liverpool Coverage:
- Fulham 1-1 Liverpool (2-3 agg): Diaz finish sends Reds to Wembley
- Bournemouth 0-4 Liverpool: Reds pick Cherries apart to extend lead at the top
- Liverpool 2-1 Fulham: Reds Score Another Comeback Win In Opening Leg
- Arsenal 0-2 Liverpool: Dazzling Diaz Seals FA Cup Win In The Capital
- Liverpool 4-2 Newcastle United: Salah, Jones & Gakpo Fire Reds Three Points Clear