In one of the most dreadful displays of Jurgen Klopp’s three-month reign, Liverpool outlasted Stoke City for 120 minutes and penalties to book their trip to a Wembley final. After falling behind on the stroke of half-time, when Stoke squared the tie, the Reds won 6-5 on pens.
Should Liverpool win their first trophy with Klopp at the helm, this performance will be long forgotten. Silverware has a powerful effect of purging the memory of the hiccups and hijinks that nearly derailed the journey to a cup victory.
A toll was clearly exacted on the side in the aftermath of the circus at Carrow Road at the weekend. The Reds were clearly off and struggling all over the pitch.
With Stoke’s goal clearly offside, Liverpool would have unjustly lost this one, but they did not do much to win it either. Still, they got the result and move on, despite playing rather dreadfully.
Here are four findings from the match.
Daring Disaster
For some reason, Liverpool feel compelled to make everything harder than it needs to be. All the Reds needed to do was score an early goal to ratchet up the pressure on the visitors. Instead, they foundered.
Apart from an opening few minutes, when Liverpool seemed to surge with almost too much aggression, the home side quickly faltered into increasingly subdued form. By 20 minutes they were content moving around the periphery and continuing to press.
Even as they tried to make something happen in the second half, the Merseysiders remained sloppy in possession and toothless in front of goal. Fatigue was visible in nearly every position.
It all made for a very tense finish after two hours of play, which only added miles on players already leggy to start.
Still Set-Piece Shambles
The good news is that Liverpool looked far more organised and aggressive defending set-pieces. A number of corners were blasted far from the penalty area. In fact, the shape of the defence is improving. It is just the pace that was exposed during this night.
Yet, Liverpool’s free-kicks lack all sense of purpose and threat. Neither James Milner nor Alberto Moreno seems capable of beating the first defender with anything approaching a delivery. After this display, Milner and Moreno should not be allowed near a dead ball.
Someone else has to step forward and take free-kicks. Otherwise, Liverpool will find themselves getting fouled anytime they have a chance of advancing the ball in the attacking half.
Ascending Allen
There have been a lot of murmurs about Joe Allen’s future at Liverpool or lack of future, whatever the case may be. The last manager’s favourite always divided opinion of supporters and has Brendan Rodgers to thank for the millstone of being dubbed the “Welsh Xavi”.
Still, the Welshman continues to make a compelling case for a starting role amidst this injury crisis. After scoring the equaliser to save the Reds from a loss against Arsenal, he followed up with more quality against Exeter and delivered the winning penalty to sink Stoke.
Whether the manager favours him or not remains an open question, but Allen keeps showing his value to the squad regardless. He is fit, fresh, and deserves more minutes during this run of fixtures.
Maybe Mignolet
The struggling Simon Mignolet stepped up against Stoke, getting his mitts on two Potter pens. He was the difference. Despite conceding the first shot he faced, again, the goalkeeper grew into this game.
The Belgian worked to rise above the jitters. He widened his range and attacked the ball with more aggression. He even admonished his defence when they let the ball bounce in the penalty area, failing to aggressively clear their lines. When Marko van Ginkel burst through and blasted one to the near post, Mignolet had it covered.
Yet it was in the shootout where he became bigger and rose to the occasion, helping see his side to the final. Of the seven shots he faced, he saved two and got his hands on another.
Maybe, just maybe, this could be a pivotal moment, setting the beleaguered net-minder on the kind of form that nearly won him an unlikely golden glove award last season.