Jones and Gomez issue Wembley response
Liverpool’s joyous Wembley celebrations were no doubt tinged with a hint of disappointment for two players.
But there was no sign of Curtis Jones or Joe Gomez bemoaning their lot here.
The duo had been among the unfortunate few restricted to watching from the sidelines as the Reds earned a dramatic Carabao Cup triumph over Chelsea on Sunday.
And, restored to the starting line-up for the FA Cup visit of Norwich City, they posted a timely reminder of their worth.
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Jones in particular caught the eye in the first half, clipping the top of the crossbar with one audacious curled effort and confident in possession.
It’s often easy to tell the 21-year-old’s state of mind by the number of tricks and flicks he attempts. They all seemed to come off before Jones was withdrawn at half-time with a thigh problem.
Gomez, meanwhile, prompted cheers from the crowd early on with a strong challenge on Przemyslaw Placheta and settled quickly alongside Ibrahima Konate at centre-back.
The England man was solid enough. However, rustiness was apparent when fortunate to escape with two wayward passes either side of half-time and he was slow to close down Lukas Rupp for Norwich’s goal.
Both, though, will have benefited from the minutes. They are still very much part of Liverpool’s plans between now and the end of the season.
Milner prompts contract question
No wonder Jurgen Klopp wants Liverpool to thrash out a new contract for James Milner.
If the legs aren’t quite as willing as they once were – at 36, that’s hardly a surprise – the mind remains as bright and willing as ever.
And having guided the Reds through the extra time period at Wembley in midfield and set them on their way with the first penalty of the shoot-out, here Milner found himself filling in for Trent Alexander-Arnold at right-back.
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He threw himself into the role with trademark enthusiasm, providing an outlet going forward and typically tenacious in defensive duties.
Indeed, it was Milner who was on the front foot as Liverpool sought to see out the closing moments after Norwich gave themselves hope with Rupp’s strike.
While a 28th appearance of the campaign, this was only the fourth time the veteran had played a full 90 minutes, running as strongly in the final moments as the start. Such experience will be crucial as the business end of the season approaches.
And on the other flank, Kostas Tsimikas again demonstrated why he is a worthy understudy for Andy Robertson with a solid display in which his deliveries prompted both goals.
Konate the lucky charm
The progress of Ibrahima Konate continues at Liverpool.
Quietly and confidently, the Frenchman is justifying the significant outlay to take him from RB Leipzig last summer.
And in doing so, Konate is becoming something of a lucky charm.
Eighteen games into his Reds career, the 22-year-old is still yet to finish on the losing side, all bar three of those games having been won, only 14 goals conceded.
Klopp gave a resounding show of faith in Konate on Sunday, the centre-back coming off the bench to quell Romelu Lukaku during extra time and then keeping his cool to convert during the nerve-shredding decisive penalty shoot-out.
Against Norwich, Konate – as at Inter Milan in the Champions League a fortnight earlier – was assertive and strong, given opportunity to show off that physical prowess as the Canaries threatened a late equaliser.
It also allowed both Virgil van Dijk and Joel Matip a well-earned breather ahead of the resumption of Premier League hostilities with the visit of West Ham United on Saturday evening.
Konate may have been bought for the future, but his present is already making a positive difference.
