Henderson assumes Fabinho mantle
The angry, anguished look on Fabinho’s face said it all. Barely half-an-hour into this chaotic encounter at Aston Villa, the Brazilian was forced to limp off after suffering a hamstring injury.
For a moment, Liverpool supporters would have been forgiven for believing Fabinho took with him remaining hopes of a quadruple, such has been his influence in the number six role this season.
Such fears, though, started subsiding once Jordan Henderson began to exert his influence on proceedings, a laudable feat given he was thrown in cold into a frenetic first half.
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Setting the tone by snapping into some early tackles, where Fabinho had been struggling even before his game-ending injury – too often bypassed by the Villa midfield – Henderson brought steel and, later assisted by the introduction of Thiago Alcantara, much-needed composure into Liverpool’s play.
Henderson has been far from a regular starter of late, with his place in the starting line-up against Chelsea by no means guaranteed given inconsistent form during patches earlier in the campaign.
But if Fabinho fails to make it for Wembley – which, despite Jurgen Klopp’s cautiously upbeat post-match prognosis, seems likely – the captain clearly has the bit between his teeth. Henderson is setting the standard once more.
Familiar story for Jones
It may be pushing matters somewhat to suggest Villa Park represented a chance to force his way into the FA Cup final line-up.
But this was nevertheless an important night for Curtis Jones, making only his second start in the last 14 games in all competitions.
The 21-year-old has endured a frustrating season, sidelined by injury at inopportune times that have prevented him from building any momentum and harming attempts to push himself up the midfield pecking order.
Certainly, it seems an eternity since Jones was running rings around Porto at the Estadio do Dragao in a Champions League masterclass back in September.
Against a team helmed by Steven Gerrard – who championed Jones when the U18s coach at Anfield – the youngster was caught up in the chaos of the opening half-hour, barely involved and unable to make an impact when doing so.
That changed towards the break, with Jones finding some space and shooting at Emiliano Martinez before one run ended with a shot too high.
He then started the second half with a strong run that won a free-kick before being replaced by Thiago Alcantara. An opportunity that, for reasons not entirely his own, wasn’t quite taken, this night was the season in microcosm for Jones.
Matip sends Wembley message
Virgil van Dijk’s impressive campaign on his return from serious injury has rightly commanded the spotlight for Liverpool this term, not least given the transformative presence of his impact.
But there’s a strong argument Joel Matip has been the Reds’ most consistent defender during the course of the campaign.
Curious, then, there is debate over whether the Cameroonian will feature in Liverpool's upcoming finals.
Having not kicked a ball in the FA Cup this season – Ibrahima Konate the preferred starter – that’s perhaps understandable for Wembley on Saturday. But the Champions League final is another matter.
Benched for Konate at the weekend, Matip started here. His timely equaliser instantly dragged Liverpool back into the match, but it was his solid defending as the visitors creaked horribly during the opening quarter – a level he maintained throughout as Villa came again during the closing stages – that impressed most. As a reminder of his claims, it was compelling evidence.
Elsewhere in the backline, Kostas Tsimikas’ opening half was very much that of a player making a first Premier League start since mid-February before, like so many of his team-mates, he began to grow into the match with a vital challenge to deny Ollie Watkins second half the highlight.
And in the other full-back role, Trent Alexander-Arnold’s all-action showing – constantly driving Liverpool forward – augurs well for the remaining weeks.
