Liverpool stalwart Lucas Leiva might have been forgiven for thinking he would never score again.
The long-serving Brazilian had not netted since September 16, 2010 going into the Reds' FA Cup replay against Plymouth Argyle on Wednesday night, and was probably not the man Jurgen Klopp was expecting to make the difference in a tricky away tie.
Lucas gets Liverpool over line in FA Cup
But Lucas finally ended that remarkable drought by rising to meet a Philippe Coutinho corner in the first half and sent Liverpool into the fourth round in the process.
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Klopp's men will take on Wolves at the next stage of the competition after defending Lucas' solitary goal to earn a hard-fought victory.
The 30-year-old, who has regularly been linked with a move away from Anfield, last scored against Steaua Bucharest in a Europa League match, with Roy Hodgson the manager of the club at the time.
Lucas has since played under Kenny Dalglish and Brendan Rodgers as well as Klopp and seen Luis Suarez signed and then sold either side of a tilt at the Premier League title during that time.
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The other scorers in that 4-1 win over Steaua were David N'Gog, who notched two, and Joe Cole.
Unfortunately for Lucas, his goal was not enough to earn him a place in the team against Manchester United the following weekend. The former Gremio man was an unused substitute as Hodgson's team were downed by a Dimitar Berbatov hat-trick.
