There was no FA Cup upset at Anfield as Liverpool brushed Accrington Stanley aside with the magic provided by Trent Alexander Arnold – and Daily Star Sport looks at what Arne Slot would have learned
Liverpool avoided a scare against League Two Accrington Stanley in the FA Cup third round.
While there was no cup upset, Trent Alexander-Arnold provided the magic with the pick of the goals in the 4-0 win at Anfield. Arne Slot opted to make a number of changes rather than ring wholesale alterations to the team.
Accrington made a good go of it before a Liverpool counter-attack saw Diogo Jota tap home from close range to open the scoring and set the Reds on their way to what seemed like a straightforward afternoon.
But the fourth-tier side hit the bar and passed up a number of bright openings before Liverpool went through the gears. Here, the Daily Star Sport looks at what Slot would have learned from the victory.
Alexander-Arnold statement
After being dropped in Liverpool’s 1-0 defeat against Tottenham Hotspur in midweek following his nightmare against Manchester United, the England star reminded us all of his talent.
Alexander-Arnold doubled the Reds’ lead with a sublime whipped strike from the edge of the area that fired into the far top corner. The 26-year-old has come under huge scrutiny amid transfer links to Real Madrid.
While his muted celebration won’t go far to convince fans he’s in it for the long haul just yet, Alexander-Arnold was nonetheless left beaming by his strike as he soaked in the jubilation. However, his weak leg-swinging attempt at defending as Josh Woods smashed an effort against the bar left a lot to be desired.
Rio Ngumoha’s debut
The exciting winger became the second-youngest Reds debutant at 16 years and 135 days, only behind Jerome Sinclair at 16 years and six days, and proved to be an exciting addition to the Reds team.
Despite fluffing his lines with a decent chance in the first 15 minutes after he was picked out by Harvey Elliot’s cross to make history, Ngumoha was bright and direct but was incredibly quiet in the second-half before his withdrawal on 70 minutes.
Harvey Elliott’s future
Harvey Elliott picked up some vital minutes following his injury return last month as he made only his second start of the season. The 21-year-old suffered a broken foot earlier in the campaign which kept him sidelined for over two months and he has been linked with a shock move away from Anfield.
But the versatile star showed why Liverpool can’t let him leave despite his minutes being severely limited under the Dutchman.
Federico Chiesa impact
The lesser-spotted Federico Chiesa was brought on at half-time to make his first appearance since a second-half cameo against Southampton in the EFL Cup last month, and just his fifth appearance for the Reds since joining last summer.
Chiesa almost made an instant impact off the bench and was denied by Billy Crellin from a tight angle after showing his strength to get on the end of a clipped pass over the top of the visitor’s defence.
He squandered another one-on-one chance just minutes later, seeing the rebound from his saved shot drop for Jayden Danns to knock in Liverpool’s third before he hit the post with a dragged effort.
But he finally got his reward for his hard work as he drove home an effort from just outside the box in added time to bring a smile to his and his manager’s face.