‘Klopp’s Kids beat the Blues’
Liverpool v Everton
FA Cup, 3rd Round
5th of January, 2020.
Carly, Dave’s wife, greeted me at the door, in her green District nurses outfit, and said, ‘I have to go to work now’. It was gutting, as Carly is as much a part of watching the game as the tv itself.
‘Fudge’, the dog, followed close behind – forever looking for attention. I mean, that sad looking face and big brown eyes, how could I refuse as I patted her head and fondled her chin, before she led me to the living room door.
It was here I found Davie and Deano, two veteran red fans of my vintage, who have not only shouted at the tv with me but have also had dreams and songs to sing in the pubs around and inside Anfield itself.
It was a good job, whilst in Morrison’s that I had not completely wasted, whiling, away my two hours, twittering having coffee, in between attempting two annoyingly difficult crosswords, for I did actually get not one, but two packets of sweets. Two packs of those soft, Refresher ones – pink/white and blue/red ones – almost without realising it; they had been selected for the ‘Derby’.
‘Dave just went over the shops to get some sweets’, Carly said, no doubt secretly wishing she was staying with us. Then I produced the sweets I’d got for us so we had ‘double-bubble’. The odds on the yummy sweets lasting before half-time were as long as Liverpool’s winning the game.
So, this was the FA Cup tie which our manager, Jurgen Klopp did not want, after the team had played something ridiculous like 8 games in about a month and travelled half-way across the world in the process – such is the price of a success which we could have only have dreamed about 4 years ago, before he came.
The Derby, Liverpool v Everton. I had taken in the fact that it was the most played FA Cup tie. One of the lads on twitter, ‘Andy Mills’ I think it was, asked what was the best reds game ‘we’ had seen. Despite many European triumphs, I plumbed for the 1986 FA Cup Final, when Liverpool finally, completed the Domestic Double, by beating Everton 3-1 with 2 goals from my hero, Ian Rush. At this moment in history, I am standing by that – just.
With Liverpool’s first choice team in dire need of a rest, and klopp’s options dwindling more than the chances of peace in the Middle East, there was an un-familiar Liverpool line-up which ran out at Anfield for the tie against Everton.
Adrian was in goals which was a gimmie, James Milner was at left-back and captain. Neco Williams, a young Welsh lad was at right-back – he had distinguished himself v Arsenal in the 5-5 League Cup draw, by whipping in the last second ball for Origi to finish and take the tie to Extra-Time and Penalties (which the Under-23’s won). At centre-half was the re-called Nat Phillips (no, no relation!) who had been playing for Stuttgart in the German Second Division. Alongside him was ‘Mr Rolls’ to Virgil van Dijk’s ‘Mr Royce’ in the form of Joe Gomez who has been nothing short of sublimely purring since coming back into the side.
In the middle was Pedro Chirivella – a young twenty something, alongside the experienced Adam Lallana and a local lad called, Curtis Jones, who had scored the winning penalty in that epic cup tie against Arsenal.
Up front was Divock Origi – given another rare start but mind, he likes Everton and had helped destroy them in December’s 5-2 win. New £7.25 million signing, Takumi Minamino from RB Salzburg was making his debut and also there was 16 year – old, Harvey Elliott, who had come on at Anfield for less than five minutes, in Thursday night’s 2-0 win over Sheffield United.
So, the team was not exactly the normal line-up and to be fair, we did not expect anything from them, other than for them to give their all.
Everton – well, I didn’t care or to be totally blunt; didn’t take any interest in them or their line-up. I just knew that newly installed manager, Carlo Ancelotti, would be fielding his strongest team and knew that if Everton were ever going to beat Liverpool, for the first time in 10 years, let alone for the first time in 20 years at Anfield, then Everton would never be presented with a better late Christmas gift-wrapped opportunity.
The sweets were already half-full in the bowl as the first half got under-way and the Blues had won the toss and decided to get Liverpool to attack the Kop in the first half.
The kids started slowly; a tad nervously as expected.
‘Well, you never know’ we said, with Davie sitting in his favourite swivel, bond villain chair, whilst I still grappled with the make-up of our team, never mind the Everton one.
Everton should have scored, not once but at least twice.
Adrian saved with the base of his heel on one occasion proving again, a great stand-in for Alisson. We held our breath as 8,000 blues breathed bitterness down on him.
‘Phew’ we went, with me greedily grabbing not one but three sweets as they were going down like a paratrooper jumping out of an aeroplane.
Liverpool though suffered an early blow after 6 minutes as James Milner went off. Klopp must have looked as worried as we were as our ‘Milly’ our ‘Swiss Army Knife’ as Davie called him, reluctantly left the field. It made Klopp’s decision not risk too many regular players a wiser one.
Everton were having joy down our left, especially facing our young sub, the Algerian, Yasser Larouci; a strongly built man, who was great in the tackle and improved as the game went on.
The blues should, just should have taken the lead, when Holgate headed the ball straight at Adrian. Anywhere either side of Adrian and the net would have bulged.
It had been a gilt-edged chance.
‘We need to be quicker’ Deano said, as he expressed his concerns that we were getting bullied in midfield.
The youngsters though were holding their own, at least they were not on-their way to an un-flattering 5-0 scoreline; like they had suffered at Villa in the League Cup before Christmas. This time, as they were knocking the ball about, their confidence was increasing; they were posing a threat.
At one stage Divock Origi managed to turn inside the area, following a pass from Elliott and his low shot was saved by a sprawling yellow shirted Jordan Pickford, who tipped the ball away down at his right near post. It was a good save but had the ball gone in, the goal would not have counted due to offside. The subsequent corner was dangerously whipped in at pace – like they all were taken by either Elliott or Chirivella and they always beat the first man, as Deano demands.
As the half-time whistle blew Davie got-up and very kindly made another lush cuppa (he could do it again. Carly would agree!) and we were all happy with the way the first 45 had gone.
‘We are still in the game’ Deano said and that was all that mattered to us.
Gary Lineker just had to get a dig in though about scoring a goal in the 1986 Derby win at Anfield and if he did, as my mum would say, because I nearly lost it!
‘Yes, tell them about what happened later at Wembley, Lineker, when we won the Double!!’ I screamed, still recalling him and Rio Ferdinand’s joy at Liverpool being 3-0 down at Barcelona last season (and looked then what happened then when he had gloated!).
It was a good job Davie had got them other sweets, the bitter ones, which look like a bottle opener, with sugar on them but become sweet, the more they are sucked and the soft red and white ones, which look as though they have a cherry, because not only were we eating them but also Kelsey was, the 7 year-old baby and Kaitlyn too, before she escaped back to her room away from us three loons.
Whatever Klopp said to Liverpool at the break must rank as one of his most famous pep talks for when the lads, quite literally in some cases, emerged for the second half it was as though they had donned the jerseys of their more senior teammates, for they just pressed like a red hot iron and passed the ball around, subsequently bossing the second half. It was a joy to watch. Incredible. The three of us just could not believe it. I mean, I was not too stressed or kicking every ball like I can do. It was the manner of their display – it defied belief.
I can’t even signal anyone out as they all played as one. Everton hardly had a sniff of the ball, because Liverpool dominated the second half, especially with the Kop behind their backs, who were superb and never stopped singing and urging.
Neco Williams fired in a fierce warning, with a thunderous long-range shot from outside the left of Pickford’s area which the England number one could only spill but there was no-one there, like a Salah, to capitalize.
‘He’ll get Mane on’, Dean said, ‘why not. A bit of quality’ he suggested, as we saw Sadio warming-up with about a quarter of an hour to go.
All that was needed was a goal to cap a fine performance.
Origi got into the area, on the right as Pickford looked at it. On the edge of the ‘d’, Curtis Jones demanded the ball. Well, his wish was Origi’s command and before we knew it, in the blink of a Fudge bark, the ball was flying into the top left-hand corner, of Pickford’s goal.
I leapt off the sofa.
‘Oh my word, oh my word’ I kept saying in total disbelief at what I had just seen, before grabbing hold of one of Carly’s table chairs and banging it down on the wooded floor in total joy.
‘I cannot f**king believe it’ I then kept saying, as it dawned on me that we had just scored one of the finest Derby goals ever and it had been scored by a 18 – year – old Scouser.
On this occasion I did not care that they showed the goal over and over and over; it was an absolute dream-boat of a strike.
Everton were just stunned. They had no answer – no matter what Ancelotti did. Liverpool’s kids could even have scored again soon after.
The Blues were totally rattled.
Liverpool kept passing, passing, passing the ball around, very rarely letting it out of their sight, let alone possession.
It was a master-class of keep-ball.
When the whistle went it signalled that Liverpool had won a famous Derby victory – it had been a case of ‘Klopp’s Kids Beat the Blues’.
6/1/2020.
Andy's Anfield Articles 