It was a day to celebrate the strength of Liverpool’s squad as 16 different players featured in the 4-0 win over Accrington Stanley that secured their place in the fourth round of the FA Cup.

Liverpool 4-0 Accrington Stanley

FA Cup Third Round | Anfield
January 11, 2025

Goals: Jota 29′, Alexander-Arnold 45′, Danns 76′, Chiesa 90′

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Caoimhin Kelleher – 7 (out of 10)

A relatively quiet afternoon for the Irishman, who removed the danger when necessary.

However, he gets the award for the slowest dribble from the penalty area and tries to tempt the press!

Trent Alexander-Arnold – 8 (Man of the Match)

This wasn’t a game you would have expected the vice-captain to start a few weeks ago, but you could sense he was enjoying the freedom the game allowed as he pushed into midfield.

Was the key cog in recycling possession, delivering an inch-perfect through ball to score the opening goal and then scoring a brilliant goal himself from outside the penalty area. The answer Anfield needed.

Jarell Quansah – 7

Quansah was definitely more confident than mid-week, which can be said about the level of opposition supported.

Still, he looked comfortable with the ball at his feet and when pressure was applied – a game that will do his confidence a lot of good.

Wataru Endo – 8

As in midweek, Endo was needed as a central defender and often made good progress when the visitors got beyond the halfway line – which happened more often in the second 45 minutes.

He wasn’t afraid to let long diagonal balls fly to Harvey Elliott, although not all of them were accurate, but it was his straight balls through the middle of the pitch that caught the eye – his inside midfielder shone through.

Kostas Tsimikas – 8

A game in which he effectively combined defense and attack, won the most tackles (four), won the most duels (eight) and, according to FotMob, created the most chances (four) for both teams.

For the first time this season he has played 90 minutes in back-to-back games, although we know from previous experience that he gets better with more playing time.

Tyler Morton – 7

Returning from an ankle injury for the third time this season, he lost just one of the five duels he played during his 60 minutes on the pitch – only one Red had more at that point.

He opted for a few long range shots when the better option was to pass.

Dominik Szoboszlai – 7

The Hungarian was always expected to start this game after recovering from illness after sitting out the last three games and was given license to attack as No.10.

As expected, had plenty of energy and showed the composure needed to score the first goal before scoring one of his simplest assists by passing the ball to his right-back.

Withdrawn at half-time with a view to a starting role at Forest.

Harvey Elliott – 7

While he may prefer the No.10 role, he started on the right wing in place of Mo Salah and was important in maintaining the Reds’ width. There he managed an important recovery run.

He dropped back to midfield in the second half and had a scare with a poor tackle on his ankle, but he persevered and proved strong in the fight. The game wasn’t exactly spectacular and didn’t hurt his chances of getting more playing time.

Diogo Jota – 6

A well-taken goal after some brilliant movement as Liverpool launched their counter-attack but had a relatively quiet game in the danger areas as they dropped deeper as one of the No.10s.

Played the entire 90 minutes, suggesting he won’t be in the starting lineup on Tuesday night.

Rio Ngumoha – 7

At the age of 16 years and 135 days, Ngumoha became the club’s youngest ever FA Cup player in a surprise move from Slot, handing the youngster his debut.

It felt premature, but the teenager showed no signs of nervousness on the left wing as he took over the play or looked for the pass to a free teammate.

Showed his inexperience by causing a few fouls but was mostly clean in possession. He earned applause from the Anfield crowd for his efforts.

Darwin Nunez – 6

An opportunity to hit form with just one goal in his last 11 appearances and he started with a few shots going over the bar – his desperation to clear the net.

He pulled the ball back well to give Jota the opener but will have cursed the sight of Jayden Danns and later Federico Chiesa as soon as he arrived on the pitch.

Played the entire game and finished the game with the fewest touches of the ball of any Liverpool starter (36).

Substitute

Federico Chiesa (for Szoboszlai, 46′) – 8 – A rare sighting of the Italian and we would have liked to have seen him in the starting XI, but he showed off his quick feet, vision and passing range. Hit the post and then Finally found the net. His smile spoke volumes.

Conor Bradley (for Alexander-Arnold, 60′) – 7 – Was busy and seemed to enjoy his outing with his runs down the right flank.

James McConnell (for Morton, 60′) – 7 – A decent player who started in midfield before moving to the left center back role.

Jayden Danns (for Ngumoha, 72′) – 7 – Showed what we want from Nunez by winning the ball back before setting up Chiesa and then doing the job himself. Clearly intent on making an impression.

Trey Nyoni (for Endo, 78′) – 6 – A cameo appearance for the youngster, which he completed with an assist.

Substitutes not used: Jaros, Robertson, Mac Allister, Diaz

Arne Slot – 9

Slot found the right balance between handing minutes of play to the fringe players, a number of first-team regulars in the eleven and pre-planned substitutions.

He will have been pleased that just a week after the intensive review, Alexander-Arnold left no questions unanswered about his application, a topic of conversation he had expected.

It was a day full of positive events, and he may have breathed a little easier when Elliott got up and finished the game after a painful blow to the No. 19’s ankle.

A clean slate, four different goalscorers, a place in the fourth round and shared minutes in the team – now all eyes are on his arch-enemy Nottingham Forest!