11th January 2025 – (London) Liverpool comfortably defeated League Two side Accrington Stanley 4-0 in Saturday’s FA Cup third-round encounter, with first-half goals from Diogo Jota and Trent Alexander-Arnold, followed by strikes from Jayden Danns and Federico Chiesa after the break.
Despite a short journey to Liverpool, the disparity in quality between the two teams was evident. Accrington, while showing commendable spirit, struggled to contain the Premier League and Champions League leaders.
The scoring opened just before the half-hour mark when Alexander-Arnold launched a counter-attack after an Accrington free-kick. He sent Darwin Nunez racing down the right flank, and the Uruguayan delivered a precise cross to Jota, who slotted home with ease.
Liverpool extended their lead shortly before half-time, with Alexander-Arnold curling a perfectly executed shot from outside the box into the top corner, leaving the Accrington goalkeeper with no chance.
In a historic moment, 16-year-old Rio Ngumoha, who became the youngest Liverpool player to start a competitive match and to feature in the FA Cup, was substituted in the 72nd minute for Danns. Just four minutes later, Danns was on the scoresheet, converting after a save from Accrington’s Billy Crellin deflected into his path.
Chiesa then capped off the scoring in the 90th minute, finding the bottom corner after his earlier effort had struck the woodwork, marking his first goal for the club.
Liverpool’s Nunez had several missed opportunities that delayed the opening goal, failing to connect with Harvey Elliott’s headed cross and shooting wide after Crellin blocked Alexander-Arnold’s attempt.
Accrington, who failed to register a shot on target in the first half, nearly pulled one back in the 57th minute when Josh Woods hit the crossbar. Moments later, Shaun Whalley found Donald Love unmarked in the Liverpool box, but the Scottish defender headed over, as Accrington struggled to exert any meaningful pressure, finishing the match with just over 21 per cent possession.
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