Liverpool move on in the FA Cup after sending an inexperienced Aston Villa side out of the competition.
Premier League champions Liverpool faced an Aston Villa team put together at the last minute after the first-team was decimated with 14 positive Covid-19 cases. It looked like a massacre was bound to happen after Sadio Mane opened the score in the first five minutes of the game.
Although there weren’t any expectations on Villa’s youngsters, hope arose as Louie Barry put one past Kelleher just before half-time. The 17-year-old ran half of the pitch past Rhys Williams and looked steady as a rock as he scored his first goal for Aston Villa’s senior team. Nonetheless, the Under-23 player has six goals in nine appearances for the youth-side. Callum Miles Rowe also provided an incredible assist that caught Liverpool players off guard.
However, the party didn’t last long. The Reds turned on their turbo after the hour mark, scoring no less than three goals in five minutes. The tie was broken as Minamino held on to the ball in the penalty box and handed Wijnaldum his first FA Cup goal.
Sadio Mane can’t hitting the net.
Just three minutes later, Sadio Mane made everything look easy as he got his brace with an impressive header. Villa’s Onodi stretched himself to the fullest, but there was no stopping that ball after Shaqiri’s wonder cross.
The Villans didn’t even have a chance to breathe before picking up the ball out of the net once again. Shaqiri got his second assist just four minutes after entering the pitch. The midfielder definitely also sent Jurgen Klopp a message as the squad highly improved with his substitution. Mohamed Salah showed the youngsters what a cool finishing looks like, as he quickly turned around to shoot the ball with his strong left foot.
Despite their loss, Aston Villa fans will undoubtedly be proud of their youngsters as they managed to give the champions a run for their money. Although they didn’t win the game, they won every football fan’s heart tonight.
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