A rampant second-half display helped Liverpool breeze past Cardiff City as Diogo Jota shined again, while Harvey Elliott created headlines.
Liverpool put in a fine second-half display to breeze past Cardiff City in the fourth round of the FA Cup at Anfield. The visitors might be aggrieved by a few decisions against them in the game, but the Merseysiders showed their superior quality to trump the Welsh side 3-1.
Goals from Diogo Jota, Takumi Minamino and the returning Harvey Elliott were enough to send Liverpool into the fifth round of the FA Cup. Even though the Reds set the tone with their attacking display, Cardiff held their ground in the first period.
Cardiff disputed a decision around the 20th minute, claiming a penalty, although VAR clarified that was not the case. Then in the second half, Caioimhin Kelleher visibly denied a clear goalscoring opportunity and made a challenge well outside his area. The referee deemed a yellow was sufficient, leaving the Bluebirds infuriated.
From there on, Liverpool took full control of the game as Jota headed Trent Alexander-Arnold’s perfect delivery from a free-kick. With the floodgates open, it was all about the Reds from that moment on. New arrival Luis Diaz and the returning Harvey Elliot were introduced as substitutes, with both impacting the game.
Diaz set up Minamino after dispossessing right-back Perry Ng, with the Japan international finishing it well. Andy Robertson then picked out Elliott, and the youngster controlled the ball to rifle it past the Cardiff keeper. The away side did score a late consolation strike through Rubin Colwill, which did not change the outcome in any way. Here’s how the Liverpool players fared against Cardiff City.
Caioimhin Kelleher – 4/10
Kelleher should be thanking his stars for remaining on the pitch when everyone was convinced his challenge that took out Mark Harris warranted a red card. He couldn’t manage to keep a clean sheet either.
Trent Alexander-Arnold – 7/10
Alexander-Arnold was drafted into this team to do just the things he does, and the free-kick delivery leading to Jota’s goal was ample proof of his supreme quality. Otherwise, the Englishman had a comfortable game in attack.
Ibrahima Konate – 5.5/10
Like Kelleher, Konate was lucky to stay on the pitch after a clumsy challenge in the box. Defensively, he was not at his sharpest, losing a few key duels and showing some sloppiness in aerial duels.
Virgil van Dijk – 7/10
Van Dijk put in a typical rock-solid display. He kept things tight at the back, dealing with everything that was thrown at him, while playing forward passes with accuracy.
Kostas Tsimikas – 7/10
A busy day for Tsimikas, who kept running up and down the left flank. Tsimikas put in numerous crosses from his side, although his teammates are to be blamed for not making the best of the opportunities he created.
Jordan Henderson – 6.5/10
After a nervy period, Henderson started dictating terms in midfield and gave Liverpool the control they needed. His passing was top notch and kept things ticking along nicely.
Naby Keita – 4.5/10
Baack from the AFCON, nothing seemed to click for the Guinean midfielder. Many of Keita’s passes were off the radar, while he got dispossessed a few times rather easily.
Curtis Jones – 6/10
Jones had a decent game on Sunday as he was regularly involved in the proceedings. However, despite seeing plenty of the ball, the midfielder could not create anything meaningful, and he missed a great chance before half-time.
Takumi Minamino – 7/10
A hard-working display from Minamino, who got his reward through a well-taken goal after some smart play from new signing Luis Diaz.
Diogo Jota – 8/10
Mohamed Salah (23) is the only Premier League player to score more goals across all competitions this season than Diogo Jota (15).
What a signing he’s been for Liverpool. ? pic.twitter.com/BHl5RNn5sH
— Squawka Football (@Squawka) February 6, 2022
Jota continued his brilliant form and was Liverpool’s main attacking threat again. He got yet another headed goal to his name, which opened the floodgates for the Reds to seize control of the game, especially considering that Cardiff had looked solid until that moment.
Roberto Firmino – 5.5/10
Firmino got involved in the game heavily, which is usual for the Brazilian. However, he seemed to drop deeper than expected, which affected his actual attacking output. He lost the ball for Cardiff’s goal late in the game.
Substitutes
Harvey Elliott – 8/10
Elliott made his return from a gruesome injury and marked the occasion with a well-taken goal. More importantly, his movement on and off the ball looked excellent, indicating that he has fully recovered from his broken ankle.
A thing of beauty from Harvey Elliott ?pic.twitter.com/Ub9YgkYIBo
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) February 6, 2022
Luis Diaz – 7/10
Diaz made his debut in front of a packed Anfield crowd and got himself a clever assist for Minamino’s goal that put the game beyond Cardiff’s reach. He did pick up an injury that looked rather bad, although it’s understood to be just a knock.
James Milner – 5/10
Milner came on to provide some stability in the midfield as Liverpool looked to see the game out.
Andy Robertson – 6.5/10
Robertson did in a few minutes what Tsimikas tried to all game long. The Scotsman got a deserved assist for Elliott’s goal and would be happy with the cameo.
Thiago Alcantara – N/A
The only reason he played was that Liverpool had a comfortable lead, and Klopp wanted to give him some much needed minutes.
