Liverpool 2 Norwich City 1
11th consecutive win sees the Reds easily into the Quarter-Finals of the FA Cup
11th consecutive win sees the Reds easily into the Quarter-Finals of the FA Cup
After the Lord Mayor’s Show of Sunday’s Carabao League Cup Final triumph at Wembley came tonight’s showdown with a beleaguered Norwich City in the FA Cup and a team from East Anglia who haven’t won at Anfield since I saw Jeremy Goss score a “screamer” of a volley into the Kop End goal with my very own eyes and on a day that we all said a tearful goodbye to a standing Kop. Much has changed both on and off the field at Anfield since that sunny spring day of 1994, as can be said for events on and off the field at Carrow Road, home of tonight’s visitors. Anfield is virtually unrecognisable to the older version of the ground that said goodbye to arguably the football world’s most famous standing terrace and the team dressed in Red is light years past the ghosts of nearly three decades ago. What hasn’t changed is Norwich’s fortune at Anfield and 28 years on from that famous end of season game in which they won 1–0, they haven’t won at Anfield since. Nor did they look like changing such history this evening as a weakened Norwich City fighting for their lives in the Premier League rested a number of players against a similarly changed Liverpool team from Wembley’s heroics on Sunday and truth be told, the Reds of Liverpool barely got of 2nd gear all night and still won with something to spare.
Liverpool had an entire changed defensive back 5 tonight and with two goal hero Takumi Minamino starting in a striking role alongside Divock Origi the Reds started with only their captain Jordan Henderson retaining his place from the win at Wembley on Sunday. The first half belonged to the Reds with the ever impressive Curtis Jones involved in everything throughout the opening 45 minutes. He would be replaced at half-time by fellow youngster Harvey Elliott (presumably a slight injury) but the first half belonged to Jones and typified by his early shot that scraped Norwich goalkeeper Tim Krul’s crossbar. Shortly after, on the quarter hour mark saw Norwich’s only really threatening chance of the first half but Teemu Pukki screwed a good chance wide of Alisson Becker’s far post. Norwich were the livelier team for the first 15 minutes but simply didn’t capitalise on a much changed and out of sorts Liverpool. But two goals in twelve minutes essentially ended the contest before the half-time whistle.
The first of Minamino’s goals came from a simple Kostas Tsimikas cross that Divock Origi cushioned into the path of the Japanese striker before he rattled home a quick, close in shot. The second came via Tsimikas again, this time an innocuous corner that Norwich simply didn’t defend, at all, and Minamino smashed a brilliant shot in off the near post for 2–0. It’s arguable that Norwich didn’t defend either goal well and it was apparent that albeit well executed finishes from Minamino, both goals were easily avoided but they weren’t, and the game was effectively over with a half-time score line of 2–0.
With Liverpool cruising in 2nd gear, Norwich started the 2nd half as brightly as they did the 1st and their star performer tonight, Josh Sargent, flashed a shot narrowly past Alisson’s post within 60 seconds of the restart and then should have scored with a header 17 minutes later. Both Sargent efforts missed the target and so with 13 minutes to go in the contest the “Yellows” of Norwich City had yet to test Becker in the Liverpool goal and when they did, they scored. From a swift move involving Sargent again, his incisive forward ball found Lukas Rupp who drove home the ball from outside the penalty area and with 77 minutes on the clock Norwich were back in the cup tie. A particularly quiet Anfield crowd were now disquieted further by the possibility of a Norwich comeback as well as extra-time and substitute John Lowe almost drew them level at 2–2 but his fine drive was tipped over his crossbar by Alisson Becker. It was as close as Norwich came to taking the tie into extra-time and another substitute, Liverpool’s Luis Diaz, almost curled home a beautiful shot with 2 minutes remaining, but the ball curled the wrong side of the post and the Reds rather underwhelmingly inched their way to a 2–1 win and a place in the Quarter-Finals of the FA Cup.
Underwhelming or not, this was the Reds 11th straight win in all competitions and just 4 days since the euphoria of a Wembley Cup Final win and with 1 trophy already secured, 3 remain, and barring a huge reversal against Inter Milan they’ll be in the Quarter-Finals of both the FA and European Cup and 6 points behind Premier League leaders Manchester City with a game in hand and a visit to the light Blues before season’s end.
This already successful season still has a long way to go, and is a world away from Jeremy Goss’ wonderful goal for Norwich City on that sunny day all those years ago.
Thanks for reading. There are a multitude of other articles on Liverpool FC in my archives and I’ve attached the 3 most recent below should you wish to read any further:
Kid Kelleher The Kop Hero!
Liverpool win their 9th League Cup after a nerve shredding Wembley Finalmedium.com
Carabao League Cup Final Preview
A wholly biased Liverpudlian Red looks forward to Wembleymedium.com
Liverpool 6 Leeds United 0
Luis Diaz lights up Anfield as the Reds continue to chase down Manchester City at the top of the League.medium.com