Liverpool Find Rhythm Again as FA Cup Night Rekindles Belief at Anfield

Slot’s Selections Signal Intent

There are nights when the FA Cup feels like a relic, and there are nights when it feels like oxygen. Under the floodlights at Anfield, with Arne Slot’s side easing past Brighton and into the next round, Liverpool rediscovered something far more valuable than progression: momentum.

As Jack Mcindoe noted on the Late Night Live podcast, “We were just saying in the green room, it’s a good record – two appearances, two wins for the duo.” It was said half in jest, half in relief, because this Liverpool season has been defined by false starts and flickers rather than sustained flame.

Slot, Liverpool’s manager since June 2024, chose strength rather than sentiment. Lola Katz Roberts approved. “I wanted him to go strong – we’ve got a full week before Forest, so it made sense,” she said. It was not a radical decision, but it was a necessary one. Liverpool’s season, perched between ambition and anxiety, needed certainty.

That certainty came in selection, in shape, and in tone. Curtis Jones at right-back was a reminder of Slot’s pragmatism; the trust in youth on the left a nod to Liverpool’s long-term thinking. “Clean sheets matter – there was a real commitment to closing down spaces,” Katz Roberts observed, and she was right. In a season where Liverpool’s midfield has often been cut through too easily, defensive resolve felt like progress.

Salah Smile Returns

There are few clearer barometers of Liverpool’s emotional weather than Mohamed Salah’s face. When he is smiling, Anfield breathes easier.

“It was great to see Mo smiling again – we haven’t seen that enough this season,” Mcindoe said. That smile arrived with a goal, an assist, and a performance that recalled last season’s relentless certainty.

Katz Roberts put it simply: “Salah looked like himself again – full of ingenuity, creativity and confidence.”

For Liverpool’s wider ambitions, that matters more than any tactical tweak. This is a team built around Salah’s inevitability, his sense of timing, his refusal to accept entropy. When he drives at defenders with purpose, Liverpool’s system hums.

“If we have Salah at last season’s level, nobody will want to play Liverpool in any competition,” Katz Roberts added, and it sounded less like optimism than fact.

Liverpool’s forward line has flickered this season. Cody Gakpo’s inconsistency has been a talking point – “It was another night where Gakpo struggled, even if he helped create the second goal,” Katz Roberts admitted – but Salah’s revival can steady the attack.

Slot’s Liverpool still lacks fluency at times, but fluency is contagious. It begins with belief.

Defensive Steel Shapes Momentum

The modern FA Cup tie is often frantic, chaotic, and careless. This one was none of those things. Liverpool controlled territory and emotion.

Katz Roberts noticed Brighton’s impotence early. “Brighton never really looked like scoring – Liverpool were committed defensively across the board.” It was not that Brighton were poor; it was that Liverpool were organised.

Milos Kerkez, still only 22, offered energy and aggression down the flank. “Kirk looked exactly like I remember from Bournemouth – quick, annoying and constantly nipping at the winger,” she said, in a phrase that captured both the player and the tone of Liverpool’s defending.

Slot has inherited a side capable of brilliance but prone to fragility. The challenge has been knitting structure into expression. Nights like this suggest progress.

Mcindoe reflected on the broader context. “Getting that clean sheet was fundamental for confidence going into the next few weeks.” Confidence is Liverpool’s currency. When they have it, they overwhelm; when they lose it, they hesitate.

Cup Run Sparks Season Hope

Liverpool’s relationship with the FA Cup has always been complicated. It is neither Premier League nor Champions League, yet it offers a pathway to silverware when certainty elsewhere fades.

“This is probably our best chance of silverware this season,” Katz Roberts admitted, a sentiment quietly shared across Merseyside. The league remains brutally competitive, Pep Guardiola still stalks Manchester City’s technical area, and Europe is unforgiving.

But the FA Cup offers clarity. It offers Wembley. It offers a narrative.

Mcindoe, ever the optimist, framed it simply: “Games like tonight give you hope, not just for the players but for everyone watching.” Hope, in football, is rarely logical. It grows from moments: a tackle, a run, a goal at the right time.

Liverpool scored at the right time. They defended at the right time. They played with joy, which matters more than statistics.

As Katz Roberts said, “We’re football fans – a beautiful goal like that gets you out of your seat.” The second goal, carved open with instinct and movement, reminded Anfield what Liverpool at their best can look like.

Slot has spoken about rhythm since arriving, about patience, about learning positional play without losing identity. Nights like this suggest the message is landing.

What Comes Next for Liverpool

Liverpool’s season still balances on a knife edge. The Premier League title race remains fierce; the Champions League unpredictable. But cup runs have a habit of shaping destiny.

“Confidence breeds confidence, but we haven’t seen that enough this season,” Mcindoe admitted. Now they have.

Liverpool will need Salah’s form, Kerkez’s growth, Jones’s adaptability, and Slot’s calm. They will need patience from supporters and resilience from players.

Most of all, they will need belief.

Because as Katz Roberts concluded, with a certainty born of watching Liverpool long enough to know their cycles, “If we have Salah at last season’s level, nobody will want to play Liverpool.”

And that, in the end, is what this FA Cup night restored: fear in the opponent, faith in the crowd, and rhythm in Liverpool’s stride.