Liverpool 3 – 0 Southampton – FA Cup 5th Round Postmortem

Liverpool Triumph in FA Cup Clash: A Youthful Resurgence

This game was always going to be loaded with questions after the extended EFL Cup final just days prior. Certain senior players were required to sit this one out, given the weekend trip to Nottingham Forest this coming Saturday. The Premier League campaign must remain the most important of all objectives, which showed in the pre-match team sheets for the hosts. The starting lineup for this visit of Southampton, was a case of attempting to force a mixture of youth and experience to get the game won, as more established assets sat ready on the bench if the game state required. The result was close to emphatic and the moments of brilliance from multiple academy graduates, tremendous. This was a tough game that could have easily gone the other way, if not for a resilient nature in the opening exchanges.

🔴 Lessons Learned: #LFC's Young Guns Shine in #FACup Victory

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— AnfieldIndex (@AnfieldIndex) February 28, 2024

Below is how the team lined up, with match details following.

The Starting Eleven:
GK – Caoimhin Kelleher
RB – Conor Bradley
RCB – Jarell Quansah
LCB – Virgil van Dijk (c)
LB – Kostas Tsimikas
RCM – Bobby Clark
CDM – Waturu Endo
LCM – James McConnell
RF – Harvey Elliott
CF – Cody Gakpo

Subs
Ibrahima Konaté – Virgil van Dijk (45 mins)
Jayden Danns – Lewis Koumas (63 mins)
Alexis Mac Allister – James McConnell (63 mins)
Trey Nyoni – Harvey Elliott (78 mins)
Kaide Gordon – Cody Gakpo (90 mins)

Goals

Liverpool 1 – 0 Southampton
Lewis Koumas – (Bobby Clark) 44 mins

Liverpool 2 – 0 Southampton
Jayden Danns – (Harvey Elliott) 73 mins

Liverpool 3 – 0 Southampton
Jayden Danns – 88 mins

Important Match Stats

Possession
Liverpool 54% – 46% Southampton

Total Shots
Liverpool 14 – 9 Southampton

Goalkeeper Saves
Liverpool 3 – 3 Southampton

MURDER ON THE DANNS FLOOR – #PostMatchRAW@guydrinkel is joined by @lmariemh & KMacoftheKop to discuss the win over Southampton!

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— AnfieldIndex (@AnfieldIndex) February 29, 2024

Key Highlights and Performances

The opening period of this game showed the Championship side attacking with an intent to upset a heavily rotated Liverpool side. Joe Gomez solidified his 2023/24 role as the squad’s brilliant utility player, as he was ushered into a starting role in the defensive midfield position. The Saints’ endeavour to score an early goal meant that Caoimhin Kelleher was forced into several high-level saves, as the largely unfamiliar men in red struggled to find their off-ball rhythm. Despite the worrying situation surrounding Alisson Becker’s ongoing injury, his 25-year-old deputy has not just filled the giant-sized shoes of the number one keeper but has shown himself to be a spectacular shot-stopper between the sticks. As the minutes ticked by, gradually the home side was able to assert more and more control on the game, with Bobby Clark continually adding control to his teams on ball patterns of play. Despite being the more senior and experienced attacker in Jürgen Klopp’s front three, Cody Gakpo failed to offer the much-needed assurance amongst a raft of teenage youth players. It would take until the 44th minute for the deadlock to be broken, as Bobby Clark played an incisive pass into 18-year-old Lewis Koumas, who weaved his way across the edge of the 18-yard box before seeing his deflected shot arrow into the bottom corner.

The Reds had weathered the first-half storm and arrived at the break with a 1-0 lead.

Tactical Adjustments and Second-Half Surge

On resumption of the second half, the captain, Virgil van Dijk, was replaced by the equally enormous figure of Ibrahima Konaté. The Reds need to manage playing loads amidst a flurry of muscular injuries has never been more vital, therefore, it was a relief to see two integral central defenders splitting the game evenly. The midweek excitement of the fanbase was increasing in line with the second-half showing. The faith that has been shown in so many talented youngsters was repaid with mature and determined starting performances from Bobby Clark, James McConnell, Conor Gallagher, Lewis Koumas, and Jarell Quansah. The nature of this cup game meant that the Saints’ desire to attack and equalize in this one-off encounter was unending, which meant physicality and alertness were needed (from the Reds) throughout the second period of play. As tired legs became more and more prominent, the second set of alterations were made which allowed Alexis Mac Allister and Jayden Danns to enter the field. It would be the teenage prodigy, Danns, who would go on to ignite even more excitement and score two late goals for his delirious team. The recent and dramatic emergence of this blistering striker has been astounding, much in the way Michael Owen once arrived on the Anfield scene. The goal-scoring attributes that have been undertaken in the underage game, are perhaps the most difficult trait to replicate within the professional version of the game. In this past week, the exhilarating attributes of this 18-year-old have been breathtaking and his first goal was a great blend of movement and supreme confidence, as Harvey Elliott fed through an assist which the incoming substitute chipped over the advancing keeper and into the net. The entire stadium erupted before the infectious and explosive forward would score once more, as his timing and reaction allowed him to take the scores to 3-0, with a rebound effort beyond a flailing stopper.

The FA Cup 5th round was won and much more than a solid victory was achieved.

What Are My Final Thoughts…?

This was a match where character and confidence in youth shone brighter than anything else. This football club has enforced bringing the academy and first-team assets under one training ground roof, which has created and fire within the potential stars of tomorrow. The mentoring of these youngsters has been taken on by both the manager and key senior players, with a desire to make Liverpool v2.0 a wondrous and exciting place for the next head coach. The individual performances probably outshone the overall level of the team, yet this band of brothers is making the impossible seem plausible with every game undertaken.

Looking Ahead: Youth Integration and Upcoming Challenges

Manchester United (and a trip to Old Trafford) awaits for the FA Cup quarter-finals, which I hope will include a raft of players that deserve to keep their cup places and the chance to face off against the Reds biggest domestic rivals.

Nottingham Forest up next, with three points on the road an absolute must.

Pre-game prediction;
Liverpool 4 – 2 Southampton

Steven Smith