Liverpool overcame their debut in the FA Cup without complications against modest Accrington Stanley, whom they thrashed 4-0 with a great goal from Trent Alexander-Arnold.
The right-back, in the midst of rumors about his possible departure in the summer, at the end of his contract, uncovered a great goal from outside the area that, together with goals from Diogo Jota, Jayden Danns and Federico Chiesa, finished off Accrington’s team.
Between Liverpool, leader of the Premier League, and Accrington Stanley, nineteenth in League Two (Fourth Division), there are 86 positions in the English football pyramid. While for the humble the visit to Anfield was a party, for Arne Slot it was the perfect opportunity to rotate several of his most important pieces and to make his debut for Rio Ngumoha, at 16 years old, the youngest to do so in history of the ‘Reds’ in the competition.
Ngumoha did not have a great game, and it had to be his teammates who carried the process forward, led by Jota who, as is usual on these occasions, found the door without many complications. The Portuguese completed a counterattack to make it 1-0 into an empty goal, after an assist from Darwin Núñez, and, just before the break, Alexander-Arnold sealed the match with a great shot from outside the area that went straight into the top corner.
With the advantage of two goals, the truth is that Accrington deserved to score, at least, the one of honour. They had a shot against the crossbar and a couple of dangerous shots, which fortunately for Caoimhin Kelleher, who returned five games later, did not end up inside. In the final minutes, Jayden Danns, 18, confirmed his love affair with the competition, scoring his third goal in the ‘Reds’ shirt after a rebound from Federico Chiesa. The youth player has scored three goals in his short career with Liverpool and they have all come in the FA Cup.
To round off the victory, Chiesa, who has barely played for Liverpool due to his physical problems, took a good shot from the edge of the area to make the final 4-0. It is the Italian’s first goal since he arrived from Juventus Turin last summer.
With this victory, Liverpool lives on in the dream of winning four titles this season.
