KOP’S TEENS NOT KIDDING!
18-year-olds Koumas and Danns light up Anfield
THE same kids, the same heroics, the same outcome, just a different cup.
As the teams prepared to come out for the second half of this tie, the stadium announcer played a classic from The Who.
The Kids Are Alright. They are more than alright, they are helping Jurgen Klopp get through one of the most serious injury struggles of his time at Anfield.
And never mind the kids being alright, Liverpool are through to the last eight thanks to teenage kicks as a goal from Lewis Koumas and two from Jayden Danns, both 18 years of age, saw off Southampton.
To be fair, Klopp also got a lot of help from his opposite number.
The Liverpool boss had an excuse for fielding another scratch team – half of his squad is walking with a limp.
There was no such mitigation for Russell Martin, the manager of a club whose only moment of true glory in its 138-year history came in this grand, old competition.
Martin made eight changes to the side that had done Championship duty at the weekend.
This was a match in the last 16 of the FA Cup, for goodness sake, against a team that he knew would be without a raft of its marquee players.
In fact, Liverpool were so depleted, Southampton reserves should have been ahead early on.
Instead, Caoimhin Kelleher was allowed to continue his run of form when Sekou Mara semi-scuffed an effort from one great position and Kamaldeen Sulemana hit a post from another.
Such was the threat from Southampton, Martin might have felt his selection was justified but imagine what a first-choice 11 might have done.
Instead, Liverpool taking the lead was entirely predictable if markedly fortunate, the Koumas shot taking a decisive deflection off Jan Bednarek.
It is fair to say that, right now, Liverpool’s chronic misfortune with injuries is being partially compensated by some fortune on the field, although that is only if you describe the opposition’s wastefulness as good fortune.
Early in the second half, Sulemana found Kelleher’s legs with another good chance and Bednarek put an inviting volley way over.
When the dust settled on the Carabao Cup final, it was hard to fathom how Chelsea had not scored and the same could be said of Southampton here.
But the message from Martin’s selection was that this was not important and it showed, as Southampton’s commitment dropped and substitute Danns produced a chipped beauty for his first senior goal.
And there was still time for Klopp to bring on 16-year-old Trey Nyoni and for Danns to crash home his second of a special night.
The kids really are alright.
LIVERPOOL: Kelleher 8, Bradley 6, Quansah 7,
Van Dijk 7 (Konate 46, 6), Tsimikas 6, Mcconnell 6 (Mac Allister 62, 6), Gomez 6, Clark 6, Elliott 7 (Nyoni 78), Gakpo 6 (Gordon 90), Koumas 7
(Danns 63, 6)
SOUTHAMPTON: Lumley 6, Bree 6 (Walker-peters 58, 6, Harwood-bellis 75, 6), Stephens 7, Bednarek 6, Manning 6 (Adams 70, 6), Aribo 7, Charles 6, Rothwell 6 (Smallbone 70, 6), Edozie 6 (Adams 69, 6), Mara 7, Sulemana 7 (A Armstrong 58, 6)