JONES TO FORE AS KOP KIDS HIT SEVEN Second-string side sparkle to rout Imps
POOR Alex Palmer. Lincoln City’s goalkeeper was a Liverpool fan as a little boy and had spent the last week relishing the opportunity to face the English champions.
Sometimes, though, you need to be careful what you wish for. Palmer found himself stuck between the posts as a helpless bystander for a night when Liverpool’s second-string team decided to cut loose to see who could score the most spectacular goal.
No blame could be attached to Palmer but he must have found it difficult to comprehend what was happening in the opening 45 minutes, when Liverpool wasted no time in securing their progress into round four — and a date with Arsenal — with four quite beautiful strikes.
There was a point during that period, as the goals flew in, when Jurgen Klopp was heard shouting, ‘I love it!’ — and he had every reason to be so effusive. Lincoln had waited 60 years for Liverpool to visit Sincil Bank but, after this, they will hope it is another 60 years before they meet again.
Xherdan Shaqiri started the rout with a glorious free-kick in the ninth minute. From that point, Liverpool showed no mercy. Yes, they were given space to play by a team riding high in League One, but, even still, the way they put Michael Appleton’s team away was utterly ruthless.
By the end, Liverpool had scored seven and you could not help but wonder whether Klopp is going to have a proper assault on a trophy the club have won eight times. The squad he brought over cost more than £230million and it certainly has the ability to go a long way.
Take Shaqiri. He had only played eight minutes for Liverpool in 2020, with two substitute appearances against Tottenham in January and Arsenal in July, but he reminded everyone of his prodigious ability with the first strike that whistled beyond Palmer.
His free- kick from 25 yards, awarded after Neco Williams had been fouled, was so accurate that Palmer simply watched it sail into the top corner. If this was an attempt to find himself a new club before the window, potential suitors would have taken note.
Whether Shaqiri is at Liverpool for the long haul is uncertain, but there are no doubts about Takumi Minamino’s place in the squad and the Japan international was next to get in on the act, taking a knock-down from Divock Origi before putting his effort in the same spot as the Swiss. Liverpool’s players rave about Minamino but, when he struggles to start in the Premier League, it gives you an idea of the depth of talent from which Klopp can choose — at many other clubs, Minamino would be in the team.
You could even say the same about Curtis Jones, the academy product who has been desperate to be selected. He conjured goals three and four, with right-footed shots that bent past Palmer, the first strike following another Origi lay-off was the pick.
Any idea that Liverpool would take things easy in the second period was instantly dismissed as Minamino bundled in from close range with the first attack after the restart.
You feared that Lincoln would collapse completely.
As it was, they showed courage and refused to give up. And they helped themselves to a couple of consolation goals from Tayo Edun and Lewis Montsma.
Klopp’s response was to send on £41m signing Diogo Jota for his Reds debut, and he saw Marko Grujic sweep in a sixth goal.
Origi got on the scoresheet at last as his shot arrowed past Palmer to make it seven.
Palmer will have felt he could have done better with some goals, but for the rest of it? Not a chance. The gap between the top of the Premier League and League One is colossal. Palmer would have no issue testifying to that.