Liverpool progressed to the fifth round of the FA Cup with a comfortable 5-2 win over Norwich City at Anfield on an emotional afternoon. That’s what we saw.
Liverpool progressed to the fifth round of the FA Cup with a comfortable 5-2 win over Norwich City.
United had an emotional afternoon at Anfield after Jurgen Klopp announced he will be leaving the club at the end of the season.
Darwin Nunez curled the ball just outside the penalty area and Joe Gomez came close to scoring his first goal for the club when his effort went just wide.
Liverpool didn’t have to wait long to take the lead they deserved. James McConnell, on his first senior start, latched on to Curtis Jones’ point at the back post and the midfielder curled in a header, to the delight of Klopp from the touchline.
But the Reds were not allowed to fully embrace him. Ben Gibson equalized for Norwich minutes later when defender Gabriel Sara headed home from a corner.
Connor Bradley, The young defender should have added an assist immediately, but Cody Gakpo saw his shot spot on. Although the Reds failed to score again before the break, it seemed only a matter of time before they extended their lead and so it proved.
Diogo Jota condemned Gibson’s mistake before Virgil van Dijk came off the bench. Norwich pulled a goal back through a strike from the outstanding Borja Sainz, but Liverpool cannot be denied a place in the fifth round.
The Reds will face either Watford or Southampton, with Ryan Gravenbirch filling in at the bottom of the fifth. Here are four things Liverpool.com highlighted during the game:
Fans ignore Klopp’s wishes Since announcing his departure on Friday, Jurgen Klopp has tried to minimize the backlash as much as possible. The Liverpool manager never tolerated fans chanting his name during matches and even went so far as to swear at them.
In this case, he will always be fighting a losing battle. There has always been an outpouring of emotion at Anfield and will continue to be so for the rest of the season. It was very unpopular and may have been one of the reasons he wanted to save the announcement until the end of the season.
He will probably have to do that for the rest of the campaign almost trillions One day Joe Gomez will score his first goal for Liverpool. The Anfield team will do everything possible to ensure this.
It is now common to hear cries of “shoot” when a defender is seen picking up the ball near the penalty area. Honestly, I think we’re getting close.
Against Norwich, his long drive almost broke as he hit the target, but goalkeeper George Long saw his effort go wide. Let’s hope Joe comes before Klopp leaves too.
Klopp’s reaction speaks volumesJames McConnell failed to make much of an impact on his first start for the club. The 19-year-old standout Kroos grabbed an assist in his first game for Curtis Jones, much to Klopp’s delight.
The Liverpool manager looked unmistakable, shrugging and beaming as he took his seat to praise the rising star from the club’s academy. McConnell was impressed by the action-packed display from midfield.
Klopp may be gone, but players like McConnell, Conor Bradley and Jarrell Kwanzaa have shown bright futures. It’s not often that a team goes 3-1 up and makes the team even stronger. But Klopp did just that when three of his senior stars entered the pitch after Jota’s goal.
Dominik Soboslay made a good return from his recent injury and Virgil van Dijk replaced Ibrahima Konate. Both received a warm welcome from the Anfield crowd, but the biggest story was the return of Andy Robertson.
It’s been more than three months since we last saw the Scotland international and while his presence has been overshadowed by Joe Gomez in recent weeks, the back four certainly looks stronger. With Trent Alexander-Arnold returning from injury, things suddenly looked very healthy for the Reds.
