Federico Chiesa opened his Liverpool account in the last minute of Saturday’s FA Cup third-round tie in a 4-0 win over Accrington Stanley at Anfield....CLICK HERE TO READ THE FULL ARTICLE➤
It was a much-changed Liverpool side that included a senior debut for Rio Ngumoha and the chance of game time for several players.
The Premier League leaders, who suffered only their second defeat of the season in Wednesday’s Carabao Cup semi-final first-leg at Tottenham, broke the League Two side’s stubborn first-half resistance when Diogo Jota converted Darwin Nunez’s square ball before the half-hour mark.
Trent Alexander-Arnold doubled Liverpool’s lead on the stroke of half-time, sending a fierce shot into the top corner from the edge of the penalty area.
First-half goals from Diogo Jota and Trent Alexander-Arnold put the Reds in control, as Jayden Danns scored in front of the Kop again.
The second half was far from a damage limitation exercise for Accrington, who struck the crossbar through boyhood Liverpool fan Josh Woods, before former Manchester United defender Donald Love sent a free header over the bar from close range.
Arne Slot’s side will know their next opponent in round four next month when the draw takes place on Sunday evening.
“Let’s not get carried away too much because although I liked the way Accrington Stanley played, a lot, it is in the end a League Two team. But it’s definitely a good next step for him to be available and even score a goal,” Liverpool manager Arne Slot said in his post-match press conference.
He also highlighted Chiesa’s confidence boost after not being able to show himself fully so far for the Merseyside club.
“The best part of being a footballer is playing, doing well and winning. If you don’t play because the manager makes a different decision or you’re not available, that is always difficult for every player because every player wants to do what he loves most. Even I would love to play still but unfortunately that is not possible anymore,” he said.
Slot also credit the visitors for their style of play after coming up with a Premier League opponent.
“They were not afraid. Their playing style is also when the goalkeeper has the ball to play it long, so it is not that they stole this from the team we played last week, that’s just their style.
“They showed up in a very positive way. For us, it was all about the players that haven’t played that much yet, to give them playing time and give some playing time to a few youngsters,” Slot said. ...CLICK HERE TO READ THE FULL ARTICLE➤
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