When you think of Liverpool's 2020/21 season, there are relatively few positive talking points.
It was a campaign which saw the Reds hampered with several serious injury problems, as well as failing to win a single trophy. The highlight of the season was arguably the run-in which saw Nat Phillips and Rhys Williams star at centre-back to help the club finish third in the Premier League table.
But, on this day in 2020, Liverpool won a game which would end up having several plot lines. Two years ago, the Reds claimed a 7-2 win over Lincoln City in the third round of the Carabao Cup.
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A brace apiece for Takumi Minamino and Curtis Jones, supported by goals from Divock Origi, Xherdan Shaqiri and Marko Grujic saw Liverpool progress to the fourth round. This is where the Reds’ campaign in the competition would end, though, as they lost to Arsenal at Anfield after a penalty shootout.
That night in Lincoln did provide several interesting plot lines for Liverpool, though. Both involve two of the goalscorers - Shaqiri and Grujic.
Shaqiri’s goal came from a free-kick on the edge of the penalty area. The Swiss international would play in midfield, and be one of the star players before he was replaced by Naby Keita in the 75th minute.
Jurgen Klopp admitted after the game that he made a mistake bringing Shaqiri off the pitch. The German thought the player had suffered an injury, which turned out not to be the case.
"He [Shaqiri] had a super game," Klopp said. “A super game in a not quite unfamiliar position but slightly deeper in midfield - he did really, really well.
"It was my fault [he was substituted] - I was afraid he twisted his ankle slightly but he was completely fine, it was absolutely nothing - he just touched it twice but I think it was good then to take him off.
"But he played a really, really good game. The set pieces were outstanding - especially the free-kick he scored, what a goal that was!
"There is no doubt about Shaq's quality - there was never.
"At the moment everything looks really good and looks really promising, so we will see."
Shaqiri’s goal at Lincoln would go on to be his eighth and final strike in a Liverpool shirt. Less than a year later he was sold to Lyon in a £9.5million deal, where he would spend just a few months before signing for Major League Soccer outfit Chicago Fire.
In the case of Grujic, his goal against Lincoln would be his one and only strike for Liverpool. Despite being on the books at Anfield for six-and-a-half years, his only goal came in a League Cup tie at the LNER Stadium.
Just a couple of weeks after his goal in Lincoln, Grujic would be loaned out to Porto for the remainder of the season. A couple of months later, the midfielder admitted he was “confused” by the mixed messages he was receiving from Liverpool.
"I went through preparations with the club, after two years in the Bundesliga, I returned more mature to England.," Grujic told Serbian news outlet Kurir. "That's what they told me in Liverpool.
"But when Thiago Alcantara came from Bayern (Munich), I estimated that there would not be much space for me. I didn't want to gamble.
"I see now that there are a lot of injured players at Anfield. It is certain that I would get a chance, but I could not have foreseen that."
"Of course,” said Grujic, when asked if he had conversations with Klopp over his future. “I believe that they believe in me. In every conversation, whether it's Klopp or one of the directors, they always remind me that I am a player of great potential.
"But when I get into the system I don't get a chance. It confuses me a little."
In the summer of 2020, Liverpool were willing to accept offers of around £18million for Grujic. He was snapped up from Red Star Belgrade for £5.1m, which would have represented a significant profit for a player with few first-team appearances.
However, Grujic did not agree with this price tag. Even though he ended up getting a loan to Porto, the midfielder felt Liverpool’s asking price for his services was too high.
"They certainly want to make money on me," Grujic added. "The English are quite demanding during the negotiations. They do not lack money and can close the amount they want. So it is with me.
"It was unrealistic that they asked for 20 million euros for me, so the loan was the most realistic."
Grujic would eventually be sold to Porto in 2021 after an impressive loan spell with the Portuguese club. Liverpool would bank £10.5m for the midfielder, more than double what the club paid in 2015.
The midfielder would later admit that, despite making just 16 appearances for the club, his time at Liverpool was a “success”. Whether his only goal for the club against Lincoln is the highlight is not known, but the player certainly was grateful for the time he got on Merseyside.
“I would say my career at Liverpool was successful,” Grujic told The Athletic in November 2021.
“Okay, not in terms of games played or what I personally achieved for the club, but I certainly left Liverpool as a much better player than when I first arrived.
“The coaching staff helped my development and so did the loan spells I had in terms of gaining more experience.
“I learned so much from the senior players at Liverpool about the sacrifices you have to make off the pitch in order to fulfil your full potential.
“That professionalism and dedication in terms of how you should live your life is something I certainly took with me.
“I’ll stick to that for the rest of my career. Of course, I would have loved to play more but I’ll always be grateful for the education I got at Liverpool.”
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