Accrington Stanley were seeking an FA Cup upset at Anfield, a story to outdo their other famous tie with Liverpool and Ian Rush, but there was no miracle in store for them on that cold afternoon on Merseyside.
Arne Slot's significantly altered but still immediately identifiable Liverpool side had too much quality, sagacity, and past achievement for League Two opponents who did themselves a great service by holding their own for the entire 90 minutes but weren't able to prevent the Premier League leaders from ultimately surpassing them. Diogo Jota, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Jayden Omitowoju and Federico Chiesa scored the goals that took Liverpool into round four.
Liverpool v Accrington Stanley: FA Cup third round - live coverage
The 2-0 half-time score had been a bit unfair on the team in League Two. Liverpool had control of the ball throughout the period, just as was expected, and debutant Rio Ngumoha had already made a name for himself. The teenager from the left side of the pitch was the youngest player to start a game for Liverpool at the age of 16 years and 135 days. With his quick movements, pace, and eagerness to take on his opponent, he had a promising start to his time with the team. Despite the tough circumstances, Accrington had shown no signs of being intimidated by their surroundings.
John Doolan's team continuously pressed man-to-man from the start and worked extremely hard to constrain Liverpool's numerous creative options throughout the match. The major concern was how long they could maintain this pace. Shaun Whalley, the team captain, drew two enthusiastic cheers from the Liverpool NEC crowd of 4,700 when he broke past a defender on the left flank, but on both instances, a defender successfully intercepted his passes into the box.
The contrast between the Premier League and League Two was starkly illustrated by the opening goal. It was the first time Accrington were left exposed and weak to a counterattack, which was a result of them having a perilous free-kick opportunity of their own deep within the Liverpool half.
When Ben Woods’ set piece was headed clear by Kostas Tsimikas and Nelson Khumbeni floated the ball back in to Dominik Szoboszlai, the visitors found themselves exposed. Szoboszlai, playing alongside captain Trent Alexander-Arnold, replaced the ball forward, freeing Darwin Núñez on the right flank. He fed a delightful cross behind the retreating Stanley defenders, allowing Jota an easy tap-in.
Núñez managed to score an early goal after Accrington's goalkeeper Billy Crellin, who is on loan from Everton, made a good block on an attempted shot from Alexander-Arnold. Otherwise, Liverpool struggled to create many opportunities against a well-organised defensive line led by Faz Rawson.
Alex-Arnold all but ensured the Premier League leaders would advance to the fourth round with a lovely finish just as the half-time whistle was blowing. The defender had not performed well in his previous Anfield outing against Manchester United, but he put that behind him here. Ngumoha was involved in the goal, cutting in from the left and having a shot blocked. Morton and Szoboszlai worked the loose ball forward to their captain, who shot powerfully into Crellin’s top right corner from 20 yards, the ball travelling unstoppable.
Accrington refused to give up and in the second half, they almost rattled up some points. Both near-misses resulted from corner kick situations. Firstly, Liverpool fan Josh Woods cut inside Alexander-Arnold and Tsimikas and unleashed an incredibly powerful shot from 18 yards that smacked the crossbar. It's a moment that would have been impressive enough to tell the grandkids about. In the second instance, Whalley floated the ball into the six-yard box for Donald Love, who was left entirely unmarked, but unfortunately headed the ball wide of the target instead of scoring.
Danns gave Liverpool's 18-year-old substitute from the academy a significant say in ending Accrington's faint hopes of a comeback in the late stages. The young striker got clear of Love on the halfway line and set up Chiesa with a clear shot on goal. Crellin saved for the Italian international, but the rebound fell neatly into Danns' path, allowing him to deliver a resounding finish into the top corner of the net.
Chiesa made tremendous efforts in his quest for his first Liverpool goal. Crellin and the post seemed likely to thwart the summer arrival's efforts until he fired a great shot into the bottom corner in the 90th minute.
