Eventually, Liverpool found their match-winners, even if the first came from a player in white. Without Mohamed Salah for the first time this month, it was a touch off Arsenal defender Jakub Kiwior that ensured the Reds advanced into the FA Cup fourth round and avoided a replay against their title rivals, whose winless run extended to a fourth game. It would have hardly been Jurgen Klopp’s plan - but as Luis Diaz rifled in a late second, it meant Liverpool can now enter a crucial phase of their season without their talisman and leading scorer but bolstered by a big win.
It is Diaz, Darwin Nunez, Cody Gakpo and Diogo Jota who will all need to step up over the next month to cover for the absence of the Egypt captain, as the Reds battle on three fronts in the Premier League, FA Cup and Carabao Cup. Instead, after missed chances, misplaced passes, and a growing sense that Liverpool’s wastefulness was going to cost them, it was Trent Alexander-Arnold’s inswinging corner that was directed past Aaron Ramsdale by the unfortunate Kiwior. If it relaxed Liverpool, Diaz finally brought some composure with a thumping late finish to seal it.
