Here’s our match report from New Meadow. And that’s all from me – thanks for reading!
Jurgen Klopp: “We gave so many invitations to the opponent – it’s difficult to win a game like that. We don’t have enough time to say all the things which were not right today. We scored a really wonderful goal to be honest, but apart from that we gave them a lot in the first half. Adrian was brilliant. We got a big present after half time – 2-0 – but it didn’t look like 2-0 on the pitch, to be honest.”
Here’s Josh Laurent: “It shows our character. But before the game we believed we could win it, never mind draw it. We’ve got great belief in that dressing room – the pressure was on them, not us. At half-time, the gaffer just told us to believe. He said we’d get chances and he was right. I can’t wait for the replay, unbelievable. It’s something everyone dreams of.”
The final whistle is cue for a buoyant pitch invasion, and why not? The home fans have seen an exemplary show of character from their team and, shapeless as Liverpool were, the hosts attacked with courage and purpose. Had they nicked it at the end, no one could have had any complaints. Instead they’ll be rewarded with a trip to Anfield – and who knows how that one will turn out if they play like this again.
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Full-time! Shrewsbury 2-2 Liverpool
Liverpool charge up the other end but Jones takes too long and his shot is blocked. And – peep peep – that’s that: Shrewsbury go back to Anfield after a quite heroic comeback. A sensational second half.
93 mins: Liverpool finish strongly, Lamouci on the attack down the left and Lovren swinging one in towards Origi, who can’t quite meet it cleanly. Then Shrewsbury break and Laurent, running down the right, hits a ludicrously audacious effort, trying to beat Adrian at his near post. The Spaniard reacts in time to tip wide. And the corner is a good one, but headed over. This is some game.
91 mins: Firmino – who has done more in two minutes than any of his teammates in 90 – runs free again, finding space on the left and picking out Salah right in front of goal, but the Egyptian’s glancing header doesn’t have enough on it and flashes wide of the far post. Golden chance!
89 mins: Firmino escapes into the six-yard box and nudges a shot past the keeper, but there’s no power in it and the ball bounces tantalisingly across the face of goal where Jones and Williams both hurl themselves at it! The defender just gets there first and diverts it away from goal.
87 mins: Chaos in the Liverpool box. Love sends in a cross that bounces up and hits Fabinho on the hand! But the ref gives nothing … and there’s no VAR to quibble with him. Udoh has come on for Whalley. Klopp’s men are clinging on.
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85 mins: On trots the Brazilian, replacing Minamino.
83 mins: Shrewsbury have all the momentum here and look dangerous every time they go forward. This time Cummings looks to engineer a shot on the edge of the box with the Liverpool defence in full-on panic mode, but can’t quite get his effort away. Only one team looks like winning this. Roberto Firmino is readying himself on the touchline.
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Important input from Sean Clayton: “No discussion of footballer derrierres would be complete without a mention of Razor ‘Neil’ Ruddock. The steatopygnous king of the shorts-ripping shimmy.”
80 mins: Salah’s first act is to intercept a cross from Love and pick out a red shirt with ease. The problem is that the shirt in question belongs to Matip, who is making his way along the far touchline having been brought off.
79 mins: The ultimate sign of respect from Klopp as Mo Salah is sent on to sort things out. Joel Matip comes off.
77 mins: Origi – who blammed a 25-yarder just wide seconds before the equaliser – latches on to a clever ball from Minamino and rattles a strike into the side netting.
Goal! Shrewsbury 2-2 Liverpool
They’ve done it! And it’s a route-one classic, a skyward hoof from the keeper flicked on by Whalley and into the path of Cummings, whose low strike squirms underneath Adrian and into the net. Two-two!
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74 mins: Minamino has been quietly impressive here, and as Liverpool relieve the pressure with a bit of keep-ball he is central to much of it, buzzing around with purpose at the heart of the visitors’ attack.
71 mins: Liverpool look to reassert their authority. Minamino scurries forward but can’t find an opening, before Lovren picks the ball up and looks again for the new recruit but the pass is overhit. Klopp shuffles his pack: Oxlade-Chamberlain for Elliott.
69 mins: The home side show no sign of letting up, turning the screw with another attack down the right, which ends when Love’s cross is blocked by Matip at full stretch.
67 mins: Shrewsbury deserve that, and based on the last hour of football it wouldn’t be the greatest surprise if they get another. Origi loses his marker and finds Minamino, who is crowded out in the box.
Goal! Shrewsbury 1-2 Liverpool
Cummings steps up and sends Adrian the wrong way, firing left-footed into the bottom left corner. Game on!
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Penalty to Shrewsbury!
Laurent hares clear from midfield. Larouci is tracking the midfielder but can only succeed in tripping him. The contact is right on the edge of the box … but there’s no VAR and the ref has given the penalty.
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63 mins: Love digs out a great cross from the right, and it’s well met by Edwards but his header flies just over. Shrewsbury should not be 2-0 down here.
61 mins: That’s Lang’s last contribution - he comes off for Cummings. Then a hideous mistake from Matip, who under no pressure passes the ball directly to Laurent. The striker has a clear sight of goal from 15 yards but screws badly wide.
58 mins: Adrian to the rescue again! And this is the best chance of the lot for the hosts, who again spring a lax offside trap, Lang striding clear down the inside right after being picked out by Goss. He closes in on goal and his shot is low, hard and across the keeper, but the Spaniard is down in a flash to fingertip the ball wide.
57 mins: It doesn’t get any easier for Shrewsbury: Naby Keita is warming up for Liverpool. Larouci has enjoyed a bit more of the ball in this half but has so far lacked the end product of his right-sided counterpart.
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55 mins: Shrewsbury have come out of their shell and mount some sustained pressure – though with Liverpool sat a bit deeper now there are no obvious opening for the hosts, whose possession comes to nothing.
52 mins: That second goal hasn’t made Liverpool’s defence look any less shaky. Lovren sells Matip short and Adrian has to intervene and hack clear.
More correspondence from Simon McMahon: “Some of the greatest players of all time have had the bum cakes to match. Kenny, of course. And off the top of my head, there was also Pele, Maradona, Gazza and Micky Quinn to name just a few.”
I’d humbly suggest Ramon Vega, Wilfried Bony and Eden Hazard. Any more for any more?
39 mins. You don’t want to be mean. You really don’t.
But that’s one of the most absurd own-goals you’ll ever see.
Goal! Shrewsbury 0-2 Liverpool
Williams bends in another of those trademark crosses to the back post and it’s met by an expert attacker who’s found all sorts of space and volleys the ball ruthlessly into the bottom corner. But wait! That’s not an attacker, it’s Shrewsbury right-back Donald Love! Oh dear me. Two-Nil.
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And we’re back. Liverpool get us back under way, and there’s an early wrestling match between Origi and Williams.
Matt Dony writes: “Ah, Derek Smalls. Great shout, McMahon. Of course, that calls to mind the classic track Big Bottom, which in turn brings us back to King Kenny and Liverpool.”
Some half-time reading for the Francophiles among you:
Half-time: Shrewsbury 0-1 Liverpool
And that’s the last act of the half. Liverpool began with supreme dominance but the League One side have come back into this game and should be level. As good as Liverpool’s second string might be, they do give up chances. You feel that there’ll be one or two more for the hosts before the day is out.
45 mins: Shrewsbury win a corner with some insistent harrying, and Whalley’s ball in misses everyone and is eventually cleared. The hosts lump it back into the box, where Pierre is waiting and inexplicably unmarked … but he can’t quite get the bouncing ball under his control.
“Good evening Alex,” writes Simon McMahon. “It’s hard for me to watch Shrewsbury and not think of Derek Smalls, bass player with legendary rockers Spinal Tap. The lukewarm water to the fire and ice of Tufnel and St. Hubbins.”
Well indeed. And so far Whalley’s finishing has illustrated that fine line between stupid and clever.
40 mins: And again! Williams fails to deal with a bouncing ball and Lang picks out his mate – yep, Whalley again – who is through on goal, albeit at a bit of an angle. But his left-foot shot is ever so slightly scuffed, and rolls wide of the far post. This game should be 1-1.
37 mins: Shrewsbury are getting pretty good at this: again Lang and Whalley spring a full-throttle two-man attack, ending with the latter picking his way into the box only to be dispossessed by a prone Fabinho. He should have done better, really. But the hosts are showing some danger.
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33 mins: Liverpool have found their rhythm. A snappy passing move in midfield – Williams to Chirivella to Elliott – comes to nothing but draws cheers from the travelling contingent. Then Whalley finds himself scampering clear again after flicking the ball over Matip’s head, but Adrian comes to the rescue once more, haring off his line to nip the danger in the bud.
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30 mins: Williams picks up the ball in acres of space, gets it stuck under his feet, and falls over in slapstick style. Don’t believe the hype.
29 mins: Williams is seeing plenty of the ball down Liverpool’s right. He’s a composed passer, too, and his latest contribution is an early cross to earn a corner … which comes to nowt.
27 mins: Change for the hosts as Edwards comes on for captain Norburn, who is injured and looks distraught to be coming off.
23 mins: Glorious chance for Whalley! From nothing, Lang wins a loose ball in midfield and slips in the striker, who sprints clear of a misjudged offside trap and finds himself clean through. He takes the shot right-footed and low, but Adrian has stood tall and spread himself, and makes the save with his feet. That’s terrific goalkeeping. But my word, Whalley will be rueing that.
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20 mins: Jones slices wildly at the ball from the edge of the box – miles wide. Don’t believe the hype.
19 mins: Lang tries to escape down the inside right channel but Jones matches him stride for stride and claims possession with minimal fuss. He looks some player.
Liverpool made that look painfully simple. In a way, it was – there’s was no frills to any of it – but the buildup play from Minamino, dropping deep to collect the ball and lay it off, and Chirivella, who wasted no time in playing the killer pass, was first-rate.
Goal! Shrewsbury 0-1 Liverpool (Jones 15)
Curtis Jones breaks the deadlock, galloping forward from midfield and slotting coolly under O’Leary after being picked out by a splendid first-time pass from Chirivella.
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14 mins: Lovren spots Elliott haring forward and looks to pick the winger out with a long lofted ball. But O’Leary leaps to pluck the pass out of the sky. Nice. Then Williams finds some space on the right and puts in a wonderful – perhaps even Trentesque – cross, which just evades a queue of attackers.
11 mins: The game has settled into something of a pattern, with Shrewsbury’s players all behind the ball and Liverpool monopolising possession. They’ve lacked zip so far, though, Elliott the latest to misplace a simple pass.
9 mins: Good feet from Laurent, who pirouettes away from two markers in the centre circle, but his side are so deep and don’t have a focal point up front, so his ball forward goes to no one. Liverpool counter and Origi rifles an early sighter just wide.
5 mins: Minamino has seen plenty of the ball so far and looks a livewire, always on the move. He’s playing in the Firmino role of free-roaming centre-forward, constantly dropping deep to link up.
4 mins: Liverpool put together some purposeful early pressure, Minamino twice dispossessed while prowling in the box and Chirivella surging forward with intent.
2 mins: Whalley makes a good run and is picked out well by Golbourne. For a second it looks as though he might just be in … but the flag is up.
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We're off
The hosts get going and quickly lump a high ball forward to test Larouci.
Dejan Lovren’s in a good mood – Liverpool’s captain for the day grins and giggles as he calls the toss. And it’s Shrewsbury to kick off.
The teams file on to the pitch from a pokey passage – no tunnel club here – and exchange handshakes.
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Jurgen Klopp speaks briefly to the BBC and comes pretty close to a full house in cup-tie-against-an-underdog bingo: a “tough pitch”, a “big fight”, fixture congestion and hungry youngsters all get a mention. German efficiency, there.
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Meanwhile, in the Women’s FA Cup, Arsenal have gone to West Ham and come away with a thumping win. Report here:
Early evidence suggests Harvey Elliott hasn’t changed his haircut, which is a shame. Helluva talent though – and ferociously direct. Golbourne will have his work cut out at left wing-back.
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After some pre-match reading? You’re in luck. Our man in the north-west sat down for a lovely chat with Shrewsbury’s Grenadian contingent. Have a gander:
Just the 11 changes for Mr Klopp, then, although that rather underplays the strength of a side that contains two seasoned centre-halves, one thrilling new arrival, perhaps the Premier League’s best all-round midfielder, and at least two spectacularly promising teenage prodigies.
As for Sam Ricketts, his wing-back Scott Golbourne has passed a late fitness test to make it into the XI and Blackburn loanee Sam Hart is on the bench ahead of a potential debut.
Team news ahoy!
Shrewsbury: O’Leary; Pierre, Ebanks-Landell, Williams, Love; Norburn, Laurent, Golbourne, Whalley; Goss, Lang. Subs: Murphy, Edwards, Beckles, Walker, Udoh, Cummings, Hart.
Liverpool: Adrian, Williams, Matip, Lovren, Larouci, Fabinho, Chirivella, Jones, Minamino, Elliott, Origi. Subs: Kelleher, Keita, Firmino, Salah, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Hoever, Alexander-Arnold.
Preamble
They couldn’t, could they…? As the weeks tick by and the wins stack up, the vital question hanging over Liverpool’s season is becoming less about whether they can finally get their hands on That Trophy, and more about exactly which trophies they won’t get their hands on. It’s early days, of course, but Liverpool’s relentlessness is such that you could understand a rising anxiety at Old Trafford about the prospect of their Class of ‘99 finally being equalled, or similar feelings in north London regarding their fabled Invincibles. To do both at once – a supremely distant possibility, but a possibility nonetheless – well, that would leave both those history-makers in the dust.
But first things first. Shrewsbury may be 59 places below Jürgen Klopp’s men but they’ve proven a tough nut to crack in this competition in recent seasons, taking Wolves to a replay last year and West Ham the year before that. And when Liverpool take to the field at New Meadow this afternoon, they will be up against a side they have lost just one of their last 17 FA Cup fixtures on home turf.
A nice subplot here is that the match is of special interest to a tiny sunkissed island 4,000 miles away: Shrewsbury’s trio of Aaron Pierre, Omar Beckles and Oliver Norburn all represent the national team of Grenada (population 111,000 – or 1/14th of the county of Merseyside) with another prospective international, Ro-Shaun Williams, yet to commit. So plenty will be tuning in from the Caribbean to see how the world champions fare against Shrewsbury’s Spice Boys, as the Grenadian team is affectionately known.
For Liverpool, that tag has rather different connotations: of lenient management, lax defending and chronic underachievement. That was also an era which saw the only other meeting between these clubs, a 4-0 win for Liverpool at Gay Meadow en route to the Spice Boys’ most ignominious hour. We’re a long way from all that now, though, and while another Wembley final is still some way off, should Liverpool get there this year we can be sure of one thing: they won’t be a cream suit in sight.
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