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Photo by Alex Livesey - Danehouse/Getty Images
After the Babiest Reds battle their way into the quarter finals, we dig into the winners, losers and narratives on the night.
Those of us thinking maybe some of the big guns would be back after a shockingly inexperienced Liverpool side bested Chelsea in the Carabao Cup final on Sunday were proven massively wrong tonight, as Jürgen Klopp produced an even younger side, handing starts to Lewis Koumas, Bobby Clark and James McConnell, alongside seasoned veterans like Harvey Elliott, Jarell Quansah and Conor Bradley.
Predictably, a game Southampton side had more than their share of chances against the kids, especially in the opening stanza of the first half, and only some heroic goalkeeping and aimless finishing ensured Koumas could give the Reds the lead in the 44th minute, but the high-risk strategy of playing out from the back also saw Liverpool win possession in the final third at a rate one feels a more experienced front line would have capitalised on further.
The hosts gradually took control of proceedings, and the second-half introduction of Alexis Mac Allister and Jayden Danns saw them finally wrest the game away from the Saints, as the latter man grabbed himself a brace — an audacious chip and an opportunistic rebound, a poacher’s dozen — just a week after he made his first ever appearance for the club.
Below, then, a quick word on the winners and losers on the night.
Winners
The Danns Danns Revolution: While Lewis Koumas was the one to open the scoring on the night — cutting inside for the fourth time and finally working enough space to get a shot off, then watching his deflected effort slot into the bottom corner — the headlines will undoubtedly be all about Jayden Danns.
The 18-year old had looked promising in his two Liverpool cameos thus far, nearly scoring a winner in the Carabao Cup final with a towering header, and he built on that promise tonight, notching a brace and otherwise looking utterly at home competing with seasoned veterans.
Possessing a rare combination of size and close control, Danns displays an penchant for recognising and utilising space, as well as tremendous anticipation — just watch how early he begins moving for the Conor Bradley rebound — all of which amounts to a centre-forward who can contribute both in the pressing and build-up phases of play, all the while being a presence and goal threat in the opposition area.
A lack of genuine pace might be a limiting factor for Danns’ eventual ceiling as a player, but as of right now, it looks like the Liverpool academy has produced another phenomenal prospect.
Ibou: Coming on for Virgil van Dijk at half-time in what was surely a pre-planned substitution between players who combined for 230 minutes of cup final football on Sunday, Ibrahima Konaté, a geriatric veteran in this company at the age of 24, put in an outstanding display at the back.
Whenever Southampton — intent on building from the back through the Liverpool press — were able to break the first line, Ibou was there to break things up, either winning duels, forcing play backwards, or running the ball out of play, and if the visitors were able to work their way into the Reds penalty area, the Frenchman was there too, getting decisive touches on just about anything that made its way into his orbit.
Having struggled with injuries both before and after his move to Merseyside, Konaté’s talent has never been in doubt, and now, playing the best football of his career, looks set to play his highest number of minutes in a season since 2019. If this is the level of performance and availability the Reds can expect from the Frenchman going forward, their centre-back situation is looking very healthy.
Losers
Us Olds: Nobody in Red can in good conscience be called a loser tonight, the ref wasn’t bad and we don’t care what other teams do in this competition — Ben Chilwell is probably mad at children somewhere — so here instead is a list of things older than Treymaurice Nyoni, who made his Liverpool debut tonight.
Istanbul (the miracle, not the city) The Playstation 3 Twitter Tumblr No Country for Old Men (topical) The iPhone You (definitely)What Happens Next
There’s not much time to bask in the glory, as Liverpool host Southampton in the FA Cup round of 16 on Wednesday, before the Premier League grind continues with a trip to Nottingham Forest on Saturday.
For now, though, up the trophy winning Reds!
