Tsimikas and Allison the heroes as Liverpool win FA Cup on penalties. Title challenge set to go to the wire.

 

Another dramatic and nerve-racking week for the Reds as this amazing season draws to a close.

It started with Liverpool on Tuesday making hard work of a bang-average Aston Villa side in the Premier League, falling behind 1-0 to a Douglas Luiz goal after only three minutes following some horrible defending from Naby Ketia and Kostas Tsimikas (in for the rested Andy Robertson) and even worse officiating, not calling an obvious offside in the Aston Villa buildup.

Fortunately for the Reds, they hit back almost immediately with an equally scruffy goal and poor defending, from Tyrone Mings, ended with Joel Matip scrambling in the ball from close.

Liverpool controlled most of the game from then on, but couldn’t find the breakthrough. It took some sublime play from Luis Diaz down the left on 65 minutes, picking out Sadio Mané in the box and the Senegalese ace twisted his neck to connect with the ball slightly behind him to guide it into the corner of the net, beyond the despairing hand of Emi Martinez.

Liverpool held on for the win, only for Manchester City the following night to make short shrift of Wolves, thrashing the midlanders 5-1 to maintain their three point lead at the top and boost to almost insuperable proportions their goal difference.

The title seemed all over for Liverpool, increasing the importance of the FA Cup final against Chelsea. For this remarkable season to have significant meaning for the Reds, defeating Thomas Tuchel’s side seemed necessary.

And, indeed, Liverpool began the final as if they were going to overwhelm Chelsea, Luis Diaz in particular proving unplayable. All the Colombian was missing was the ability to convert his numerous chances. Diogo Jota, too, on for the injured Mo Salah after half an hour, had opportunities to make Liverpool’s superiority count, but failed to capitalise.

Thus, Chelsea grew into the game and for large parts of it dominated and created significant chances, Mason Mount and, in particularly, Christian Pulisic, missing when they should’ve done better. Marcus Alonso hit the bar from a free kick.

The goalless match went into extra time and then penalties, where Mané had the chance on the fifth penalty – James Milner, Thiago Alcantara, Roberto Firmino and Trent Alexander Arnold having put their spot kicks away – to win the Cup, with Cesar Azpilicueta having missed Chelsea’s second penalty; but the Senegalese, having scored winning kicks in the Afcon final and to take his national side to the World Cup – both victories coming against Mo Salah's Egypt – fluffed his shot against his international colleague Bernard Mendy.

It seemed there would be a massive switch in momentum, especially with Hakim Ziyech expertly putting Chelsea 5-4 up. Jota, however, kept his nerve and the Reds in it by scoring the sixth penalty. Mount’s kick was then saved by Allison Becker.

Thus, it was the turn of Tsimikas to become a legend to score the penalty that would win the cup for Liverpool and the Greek international stepped up to send Mendy the wrong way.

The good weekend continued when Manchester City dropped two points against West Ham – who were actually two up at half time – meaning that if Liverpool beat Southampton in midweek, then we will go into the final matches next Sunday with City needing to beat Aston Villa to prevent Liverpool, who play Wolves, overtaking them at the last moment. You’d have to expect that Villa won’t be able to resist Pep Guardiola’s side, but City did show signs of nerves against West Ham – a much better side than Villa – and a repeat, though unlikely, would open the door to Liverpool.

Liverpool advance in FA Cup after seeing off Cardiff

Liverpool are through to the fifth round of the FA Cup after securing a  3-1 win against Championship strugglers Cardiff City at Anfield. The result earns the Reds another home tie against Norwich City in the next round. 

 

With Mohammed Salah and Sadio Mané unavailable due to Egypt and Senegal meeting later this evening in the final of the Africa Cup of Nations, Jurgen Klopp started with Roberto Firmino, Diogo Jota and Taki Minamino up front. 

 

Naby Keita, having returned early from the same competition, and Curtis Jones played with Jordan Henderson in midfield while, in defence, Kostas Tsimikas came in for Andy Robertson, Ibrahima Konaté displaced Joel Matip and Caoimhin Kelleher got the nod ahead of Alisson Becker in goal. 

 

A strong team, with Klopp resisting the temptation to throw in youngsters – such as Tyler Morton and Kaide Gordon – as he has done in the past in cup competitions. Even so, in the first half, while dominating possession, Liverpool struggled to create chances and when they did there were some wild shots from Jones, Trent Alexander Arnold and Keita, a charitable person would excuse their efforts by blaming the blustery conditions but the Reds left the pitch after 45 minutes to silence.

 

Not that Liverpool fans were worried about an upset but there was a sense of an underwhelming and lacklustre Reds’ performance, with Naby Keita and Taki Minamino, in particular, failing to take their chance to impress against inferior opposition. 

 

Straight after the restart, Kelleher, who’d had nothing to do in the first half, fell foul of the goalkeeper’s curse of itching to become involved in the game and made an ill-judged dash outside of his area to intercept a through ball and clattered into Cardiff forward Mark Harris. Only the fact that Konaté was between the forward and the goal saved the Liverpool keeper from a red card, although VAR did check to see if the contact Kelleher made with Harris amounted to serious foul play. It didn’t and the Reds’ stopper got away with a yellow.

 

The breakthrough came on 53 minutes when Alexander Arnold swung in a free-kick from the right and Jota on the penalty spot guided the ball perfectly into the corner of the goal.  

 

The goal was a cue for Harvey Elliott – returning after five months out with a fractured ankle – and £37m new signing Luis Diaz to come on in place of Jones and the disappointing Keita. Both Elliott and Diaz made instant impacts, speeding the game up – Elliott with his slick, incisive, effortless, one-touch passing and play and Diaz with his pace and directness.

 

And it was Diaz’ quick-footedness and close control that created Liverpool’s second goal on 68 minutes. Exploiting hesitant play from Perry Ng, trying to shepherd the ball behind the goal-line, the Colombian nipped in to keep the ball in and lay it into the path of Minamino, who couldn’t miss from three yards out.

 

Elliot’s impressive return was crowned on 76 minutes after the Liverpool youngster controlled substitute Andy Robertson’s cross in from the left, pivoted to face goal and then powerfully struck the ball on the volley into the back of the net.

 

The impact of Diaz and Elliot may well spell the further marginalisation of Keita and Minamino, both of whom will now have to consider their Liverpool futures in the summer. Keita has been blighted by niggling injuries that have prevented him from a long run of games, while Minamino has never been consistently good enough for the standard of football demanded by Klopp’s Liverpool. 

 

The return of Thiago Alcantara from injury adds to the number of opiotns Klopp has in midfield, who has to select three from the Spaniard, Henderson, Fabinho, Elliott, Diaz, James Milner, Alex Oxlade Chamberlain, Jones and Keita as Liverpool enter the final third of the season still in contention for four trophies. 

 

Next up for Liverpool is a home game in the Premier League on Thursday against Leicester City, who beat the Reds 1-0 at the end of last year at the King Power Stadium, severely denting if not ending Liverpool’s title aspirations. 

 

An away game follows against struggling Burnley next Sunday and then the first leg of the tie against Inter Milan in the Champions League, which will be played at the San Siro on 16 February.

Reds season in danger of unravelling as FA Cup journey ends early

Liverpool’s disastrous streak of form continued as they crashed out of the FA Cup in the fourth round to rivals Manchester United, losing 3-2 at Old Trafford.

Recent performances have been characterised by uninspired offensive play, but in this game the Reds’ woes were defensive as every time Manchester United came rushing forward with Rashford, Cavani and Greenwood a goal seemed imminent.

Paradoxically, it was Liverpool who went ahead after 18 minutes with a good chip over the goalkeeper finish from Mo Salah after a precise through ball from Roberto Firmino. The goal was a reminder of Liverpool at their best, not that Salah or Firmino’s overall performances suggested a return to past form.

Firmino struggled throughout with his touch, while Salah’s inability to hold on to the ball and his penchant for overplaying were again evident.

Indeed, 10 minutes after scoring it was sloppy attacking play from Salah that cost Liverpool possession and allowed Rashford to play a long ball over the retreating Milner’s head into the path of Greenwood to slot past Allison for Man Utd’s equaliser.

A mistake from the nervy Rhys Williams – in at centre back for Joel Matip – put Rashford in a one-on-one with the Reds’ stopper, a chance the United forward took to put the home team up 2-1 after 48 minutes.

Loose play from Cavani on halfway allowed Liverpool to respond on 58 minutes as Milner robbed the big Uruguayan, fed Firmino in the United box, raced in for the return, then dummied for the oncoming Salah to put the ball between the keeper Henderson’s legs and into the back of the net.

At this point, despite lacking their usual control and rhythm, it was Liverpool who were on the front foot and favourites to score the winner. This optimism dissipated, however, on the 78th minute, when the wily veteran Cavani won a dubious free kick against the overly eager Fabinho on the edge of the Liverpool box.

Bruno Fernandes stepped forward to rifle the ball into the corner of the net, beyond the left-hand of the diving Allison.

Liverpool’s goalkeeper – who gave away the penalty that allowed Burnley to end Liverpool’s four-year undefeated Anfield home record in the last Premier League game – gave a poor performance.

A case could be made that his positioning was awry for all three United goals. On all three occasions, he seemed to have allowed too much of his goal to be exposed and too much of a target for the shooter. Positioning is usually one of Allison’s strengths, but tonight he was out by inches and the outcome was a huge blow to Liverpool’s season, which could unravel further if they lose to Spurs on Thursday and fall even further behind in the race for the Premier League title.

Reds ease past Aston Villa kids into FA Cup fourth round

 

This was supposed to be a walkover, even after the tie got the go-ahead. But for 45 minutes Liverpool were driven to the brink of humiliation by little known but highly impressive upstarts, with Aston Villa forced to field a team of players who had never contested a senior match.

The youngsters shrugged off the concession of an early goal to Sadio Mané to go in level at half-time thanks to a lovely equaliser by 17-year-old Louie Barry. “I’ve never been so proud of a team,” said Barry later. “My family were probably screaming at the TV. When I scored I actually thought: ‘We might even have a chance here.’” Class and fitness eventually told, as Georginio Wijnaldum, Mané and Mohamed Salah each found the net in a quickfire second-half salvo.

Read more here.

Liverpool kids go through in FA Cup derby

Curtis Jones said his stunning winner for Liverpool against Everton at Anfield in the FA Cup was beyond his wildest dreams as Jürgen Klopp savoured the triumph of a line-up packed with inexperienced players. Jones struck with a curler into the top corner from outside the area in the 71st minute to give Liverpool a 1-0 win – it was the 18-year-old’s first senior goal – and he admitted that it was overwhelming.

“I dream of a lot of things but this one was ahead of a dream,” Jones said. “I can’t sum up my emotions. There are world-class players all over this team but I think I went out and showed what I could do. The ball came to me and I only had one thing in mind – to shoot. It’s massive for me and the rest of the young boys. At times it’s frustrating thinking you might get a chance but then having to sit on the bench and watch.”

Read more here.

Reds meekly exit FA Cup

It would be wrong to suggest a club with Liverpool’s proud history will be completely unmoved by a third-round elimination from a competition they have won seven times. They do, however, clearly have other priorities and it was certainly difficult to remember the last time a team from Anfield has seemed as indifferent, blasé even, about the FA Cup as Jürgen Klopp’s team did during this defeat.

The best time to judge whether Klopp was right to take such a risk will come at the end of the season, when we know whether the current Premier League leaders have held their position at the top of the table. For now, however, all that really can be said is they were obliging opponents for a Wolves side that fully took advantage of Klopp’s team selection and won a rather dishevelled tie with a firecracker of a shot from Rúben Neves.

Read more here.