Liverpool 4, Accrington Stanley 0 - Match Recap: Smooth Sailing in FA Cup Third Round

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Liverpool v Accrington Stanley - Emirates FA Cup Third Round

Photo by Jan Kruger/Getty Images

It was an uneventful afternoon at Anfield as Liverpool beat Accrington Stanley in the FA Cup.

Liverpool 4 - 0 Accrington Stanley

Liverpool: Jota 29’, Alexander-Arnold 45’, Danns 76’, Chiesa 90’

Pre-Match

As expected, Arne Slot fielded a much-changed team for their first FA Cup game of the season. However, it’s not the full-on Academy side that some might have expected. Darwin Núñez and Diogo Jota both start up front, Dominik Szoboszlai in the middle, and Trent Alexander-Arnold in the back. Tyler Morton and the baby Rio Ngumoha also made it into the starting XI. Imagine being 16-years-old and playing alongside the players I just mentioned. Madness. I hope Ngumoha does well today.

First Half

It’s an early Saturday FA Cup third round match in the freezing cold, so it’s no surprise that the players took their time easing into the game. Liverpool have full control of possession, with Accrington playing catch-up, but the Reds don’t look fussed about turning that possession into real opportunities.

The first half-chance comes about six minutes in, when Kostas Tsimikas sends in a wide cross to the back post that’s snatched by Harvey Elliott, who tries to play in Núñez. It goes flat, but that was early signs of life from the Reds.

Alexander-Arnold drives in a shot that’s saved by the Accrington keeper, and Núñez takes a second shot at glory with the rebound. However, the resulting shot clears the bar for a goal kick.

When the first goal comes, it isn’t Núñez, who seemed the most likely in the first 20 minutes, but Jota. Núñez gets the assist on the break, when he served it to Jota in the center of the box. Jota makes short work of the tap-in, and after about half an hour, Liverpool are on the board.

Right before halftime, captain Alexander-Arnold makes it two to the good with a lovely far-corner curler, assisted by Szoboszlai. The Reds head into the locker room up by two, so it’s possible that we’ll see some changes from Slot at halftime.

Second Half

One change from Slot at the break. Off goes Szoboszlai and injury-cursed new guy Federico Chiesa comes on in his stead. Goalscorer Alexander-Arnold and Morton go off next, with Conor Bradley and James McConnell as subs.

Accrington Stanley get their first good chance via a cheeky short corner. However, it is headed over Kelleher’s bar. The only joy the visitors are getting is coming from corners, where they have had a few chances and half-chances in this second half.

Núñez wants a goal, but he can’t quite find the back of the net this afternoon. He tries his luck with a shot to the near corner, but it’s blocked.

Ngumoha gets 75 minutes on the pitch before being replaced by Jayden Danns. And look at this classic FA Cup moment! Little Danns scores almost immediately following a fast break. Chiesa’s shot it blocked, but the rebound landed right in the path of the onrushing Danns. He does take advantage of every opportunity that’s presented to him in the first team.

There have been no real standout moments in this match, but every Liverpool player on the pitch has done what he needed to in order to get the result, so fair play. Also, again, noon kick-off for an FA Cup third round game. Saving their legs, getting some youngsters playing time, and advancing should be the goal of games like this, and the Reds seem to understand the assignment here.

The game is capped off when Chiesa grabs a fourth. He’d put in a good shift in this second half. Moments before, he’d hit the post. This time, his low drive hits the post again, but still finds the goal in the end.