Liverpool booked their place in the FA Cup round of 16 with a comfortable 3-1 win against Championship side Cardiff City, as Harvey Elliott’s goal took the pick of the spoils on a day that will live long in the memory for the 18-year-old.
Having been side-lined since September with an ankle injury, the talented teenager completed the rout against the Welsh outfit — adding to Diogo Jota and Takumi Minamino’s second-half strikes before Rubin Colwill grabbed a consolation.
Jürgen Klopp named a strong side for an early Sunday kick-off at Anfield, clearly showing his intention of taking the domestic cup competitions more seriously this year, with one trip to Wembley already booked against Chelsea later this month in the League Cup.
Cardiff came into the game with nothing to lose, backed by a boisterous sea of blue shirts which engulfed the entirety of the Anfield Road end — in full voice for a first half in which they stayed in the game, but created very little.
You got the sense that Steve Morison set his side up to be defensively resilient, with the aim of potentially snatching a result from a counter attack or set piece. Nonetheless, a Liverpool breakthrough seemed inevitable.
It took until the second period for the deadlock to be broken. Perhaps it was the midday kick off that took its toll on the crowd and indeed the players, but any football betting in play would have tipped the Reds to score eventually.
A cleverly worked set piece from Trent Alexander-Arnold eluded the front post but made its way to the six-yard box where Diogo Jota converted with a powerful header. From there, the floodgates opened, but not before Liverpool could make a double substitution — Elliott’s return, and a debut for new signing Luis Díaz.
The Colombian’s presence was felt almost instantly, and following a welcoming reception from the crowd, Díaz hounded two Cardiff defenders to dispossess Perry Ng and cut the ball across the box for Minamino to smash home. Eight minutes later, and making full use of the five substitutions permitted in the FA Cup, Klopp introduced Andy Robertson, on for the impressive Kostas Tsimikas.
The Scotland captain was quick to make his presence known, swinging in a delicious cross for Elliot to control, before hitting a powerful volley into the bottom corner in front of the Kop. It was a dream come true for the boyhood Liverpool fan — just judging by the expression illustrated on his face you could see how much that goal meant having been out for so long.
Cardiff did manage to pull one back through 19-year-old Colwill, who pounced on a loose ball to smash it home, as Ibrahima Konaté failed to get a block in. This was all before many hearts were in mouths when Díaz clutched his ankle on the receiving end of a fierce tackle. Having shirked off a few challenges, it was certainly a concern but the Colombian made his way up and finished the game, whilst any further worries were dispelled by Klopp after the game. “He has a cut and a bruise – everybody told him ‘Welcome to England!’,” he said. “He will maybe have a little scar to remember his first game, but he is all good. All fine.”
Liverpool advance to the next round where they face Norwich City at home after Dean Smith’s Canaries, who themselves are in something of a purple patch, dispatched of Wolves at Molineux for an essential morale boost ahead of their survival bid. Cardiff on the other hand made the long trip back to South Wales dejected, but hoping their lukewarm run of form can come to an end sooner rather than later as they look to finish the season on a high.
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