Minamino and youngsters shine as Liverpool breeze past Norwich: Instant Reaction and Player Ratings
A second string Liverpool side enjoyed a comfortable evening in Norfolk as the Reds advanced to the last 16 of the Carabao Cup courtesy of a 3–0 win at Carrow Road.
Klopp’s men took an early lead in the 4th minute as Takumi Minamino found a clever finish between the legs of Norwich keeper Angus Gunn following a corner.
Norwich had their fair share of chances, and were rewarded for their pressure in the 42nd minute when referee Darren England awarded them a penalty after debutant right-back Conor Bradley committed an unfortunate foul representative of his lack of experience at this level.
But record signing Christos Tzolis failed to convert from the spot, the Greek seeing his tame effort parried by the trailing leg of Caoimhin Kelleher.
With their lead having been threatened at the end of the first half, Liverpool swiftly responded by doubling it at the outset of the second. Kostas Tsimikas’ perfectly placed cross found the head of Divock Origi in the 50th minute, who glanced the ball into the far corner in his characteristically cool conduct.
The Canaries continued to threaten offensively, but lacked end product and effective execution in the final third. The game was iced with 10 minutes to go when Minamino again found the back of the net, slotting it past Gunn after cleverly timing his shot so the keeper could not reach back for it.
Klopp, as is customary in this competition, fielded a much-changed and relatively inexperienced side. Youngsters Kaide Gordon, Conor Bradley and Tyler Morton were all handed their senior debuts and all showed signs of promise.
There will be mixed feelings in the Liverpool camp, as the fans will be delighted that their team remains in the running for a domestic trophy, while the dismayed Klopp has to deal with yet another pestiferous cup tie.
PLAYER RATINGS
Caoimhin Kelleher — 8. Great penalty save that will no doubt boost his confidence moving forward. Clearly Liverpool’s no. 2 in goal and I’m sure I speak for most fans when I say that we’re perfectly comfortable for him to fill in for Alisson at any time.
Conor Bradley — 6. His penalty concession was what they call a ‘rookie error’. He’s the wrong side of his man, and his lunge towards the ball is lazy and invites the fall. Of course, he’ll learn from this and otherwise his play was solid.
Joe Gomez — 6. Playing against Norwich’s second team, I expected Joe Gomez to be like one of those experimental YouTube videos where one professional player tries to not get tackled by about 50 kids. Alas, Gomez looked troubled by some of Tzolis’ and Idah’s movements and indeed was caught on the ball a few times.
Ibrahima Konaté — 7. Outplayed Gomez and looked solid as a rock at the back. A couple of stray passes but he’ll have to learn to adapt his floor game to the English style which is more fast-paced than what he’s been used to in the Bundesliga. Physical specimen at 6 ft 4.
Kostas Tsimikas — 8 (MotM). Every time Tsimikas has played this year he’s looked like the real deal. He had an assist, one big chance created, two tackles, four key passes (which was a match-high), five accurate crosses (also a match-high), won 3/3 of his aerial duels, and wasn’t dribbled past a single time. Impressive stuff.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain — 5. Another very poor performance from AOC who just looks lost at this point. Aimless dribbling, clearly motivated by personal attainments rather than the success of the team, and poor understanding of the opposition’s game are just a few of the criticisms one can fairly impose on the Ox after tonight’s performance.
Curtis Jones — 6. Certainly improved as the game went on, and actually cleared up well at the back which appears to be a new dimension he’s added to his game. Didn’t really sparkle going forward, though.
Naby Keïta — Literally don’t remember a single contribution from the Guinean and I just finished watching the game about 10 minutes ago. Rating voided due to insufficient evidence.
Kaide Gordon — 7. He’s only 16 years old, but he’s got all the ingredients to become a future star. Tenacity, raw skill, football IQ, dribbling — the lot. He had a couple of really nice runs and dribbles in and around Norwich’s area and maybe could have had a goal had the ball not fallen to his weaker left foot.
Divock Origi — 7. His lovely header for the second reminds you that he does possess a fantastic faculty for finishing. Unfortunately, however, this seems to really be the only thing he’s good at. He does try his hardest, which is great to see, it’s just that his ceiling is quite low.
Takumi Minamino — 8. Thought he was great tonight and has definitely done enough to start challenging the floundering Sadio Mané at left wing. His two goals were taken clinically and he was the architect of many a Liverpool chance throughout the evening.
SUBS
Tyler Morton — 8. Extremely mature and composed performance from him, he looks naturally comfortable with the ball at his feet and is able to accurately and promptly progress the play in transition. I’d really like to see him feature again in the near future.
Jordan Henderson — El capitán. Not sure if he touched the ball. No rating.
Andy Robertson — 6. Looked a bit rusty but there’s no concern to be had there.
Honorary mention: Luis Suárez — 10. Pavlov’s striker — just the mention of the word Norwich is enough to make this man salivate with goal-filled determination. He scored two late goals to lift Atleti past Getafe, 2–1, prompting the away fans to start singing his old Anfield song. Some things just never change.
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