It could have been an afternoon with a centre-back not there. Arsenal boast a dominant duo in Gabriel and William Saliba, but Virgil van Dijk’s recent absence through illness has seen Liverpool rely on Jarrell Quansah alongside Ibrahim Konate. Quansah has exceeded expectations since the end of this season, but this will always be his toughest test.
A torrid first half saw possession come cheap far too often as the teenager’s inexperience was exposed at times against a high-pressing Arsenal side. But learning on the job is part of every young athlete’s development. Like the rest of the team, the 20-year-old’s confidence has grown since the break and his composure has rarely wavered. At the last moment, Quansah was undeterred by the onslaught of Arsenal’s cavalry.
Konate, meanwhile, has shouldered a huge responsibility and put in an outstanding performance against Arsenal two weeks ago, with Nelson’s first-half block key to keeping Liverpool in the game. Now 24 years old, there is no moisture behind Frenchie’s ears. Instead, the past few weeks have shown that he is in the next phase of his career. He will be Van Dijk’s long-term successor. Mac Allister is doing a great job.Timing is very common in football. With Wataru Endo ruled out for the next six weeks in the Asian Cup against Japan, the return of Alexis McAllister is particularly welcome. This suggests that the defensive midfielder will be sorely missed as Endo needs time to adapt to the pace and physicality of English football. But while Mc Allister had enjoyed a strong start to the season before suffering a knee injury, he was the Reds’ first choice for the position and returned on Monday to replace the Japanese, leading Newcastle United to victory in last breath Unsurprisingly, the Argentine lost the ball dangerously to Declan Rice in the first half, which led to Kai Havertz tackling Alisson Becker.
However, number 6 Mac Allister, a different type of player to Endo, grew into the game and his passing began to shine. Both he and Liverpool will benefit from these minutes. It’s been five years since Curtis Jones made his first-team debut for Liverpool and, in his 14th FA Cup appearance, he has played more for the club than any other player. It may not have been his most eye-catching performance, but Jones’ work ethic and dedication and Ben White’s humility underlined his value to Klopp.
Suggestions that Liverpool had fielded a weakened squad were ultimately unfounded, but the bench showed a team stretched to its limits.
