It was a fixture that produced an audible groan from my core when it was drawn last month—I didn’t have a good feeling about tonight, if I’m being honest. Nightmares of Mitoma putting Joe Gomez on all fours before firing a last-minute winner in the FA Cup two seasons ago are still too fresh in the mind. Brighton always plays us tough; it’s never easy, especially there, and I knew that Wednesday night would be no different.
Arne Slot made wholesale changes, as could have been predicted, with Vite Jaros replacing Kelleher in goal. Three of the back four rotated from the weekend, with Conor Bradley getting the start at right-back, alongside Jarell Quansah and Joe Gomez as the center-half pairing. Andy Robertson remained at left-back after starting there on Sunday. Endo and Tyler Morton started the game in midfield, with Curtis Jones and Dominik Szoboszlai operating as dual tens through the center of the park. Cody Gakpo and Luis Díaz started on the wings. The Reds took the pitch, and the half of the traveling Kop that wasn’t stranded on the M25 took their place in the away end in full voice. I rejoiced that I got to enjoy a match without VAR intervention, and away we went.
The first half was not the best watch, if I’m being completely truthful. While the game threatened to have a wide-open, end-to-end feel, both sides just lacked the quality in the final third during the opening period to truly give the game a spark. Tariq Lamptey was denied in a one-on-one situation by Jaros, a brilliant save from the Czech; and Luis Díaz headed a half chance wide several minutes later—but for the most part, this was the extent of the action in the opening period. The sides went to the break at nil-nil with no significant complaints, and both managers likely confident of kicking on to progress to the quarterfinal at full-time.
Cody Gakpo scored a goal 38 seconds into the second half that made me feel as though a lightning bolt had struck the tip of my tackle. Tyler Morton picked the ball up just inside the Brighton half and scooped a pass over the top into the path of Gakpo on the left wing, behind the Brighton defense. The Dutchman brought the ball down, cut onto his favorite right boot, and rifled a shot, a la Harry Kane against Arsenal at WHL in 2016. The ball nearly ripped the net from its moorings on the far post. Out of seemingly nothing, we found ourselves ahead 1-nil.
Brighton responded well to going behind, and a period of sustained pressure saw Jaros make an absolutely outrageous save—springing back across his body and denying a goal-bound header from Simon Adingra by pushing it off the post. Liverpool sustained this period of pressure relatively well, and after spurning a golden chance to go 2 ahead following a 3v1 break, Gakpo again found the back of the net. After winning the ball back brilliantly from Lamptey on the left wing, the Dutchman was again given the freedom to stride into the Brighton penalty area. Once more, he unleashed a thunderbastard of a strike on his right foot, this time low and to Steele’s near post, leaving the Brighton goalkeeper with no chance. The Reds were 2-nil up and seemed to be cruising.
With 10 minutes to go, and the Reds 2 ahead, it was only right that we make things far more difficult than necessary for the final stages of the game. Under pressure just outside of his own 18, Jarell Quansah fired a blind back-pass that put Brighton through on goal. While Jaros was equal to the initial strike from Ferguson, he was unable to keep Adingra’s shot off the rebound out, and Brighton found themselves with it all to play for once more. The Redmen were not finished themselves, however, and 3 minutes later, following a bizarre passage that saw a Curtis Jones deflected shot saved by Steele, and a wild clearance from a Brighton center-half that seemed to orbit the Amex before falling back to Earth, Luis Díaz brought the ball down in the area and danced past about four Brighton defenders before again beating Steele at his near post. Surely that’s the game done, right?
Unfortunately, we are Liverpool, and there can be no semblance of comfortability seemingly at any point, ever. Right on the stroke of the 90, a hopeful—and I mean hopeful—effort from the left foot of Tariq Lamptey from about 25 yards took a wicked deflection off an again unlucky Quansah before trickling past a stranded Jaros to make it 3-2 with 5 minutes of added time. Thankfully, this was the last of the fireworks, and the Reds were just about able to see out the final 5 minutes in relatively stress-free fashion.
I’ve just watched the draw, and Liverpool will face Southampton at St. Mary’s in the quarterfinal of the competition—I can live with that. The Reds will be back at Anfield on Saturday afternoon to face Brighton once again, this time in the league—with what I’m sure will be two completely different sides to what we have seen today. All in all, it’s a cup win away from home against a quality opponent, and while we put a lot more pressure on ourselves than we should have done in the final 15 minutes, I am wholly satisfied. Arne wins again, the Reds scored 3, and we’re into the quarterfinal. Up the pissboiling Reds.
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