Liverpool v Shrewsbury Town Live Commentary & Result, 09/01/2022, FA Cup

Thanks for joining our commentary. Until next time, goodbye.

Liverpool are next in action against Arsenal in the first leg of their EFL Cup semi-final on Thursday at Anfield. Shrewsbury play Crewe Alexandra in their next outing in League One next week.

Liverpool advance to the fourth round of the FA Cup courtesy of a 4-1 triumph over Shrewsbury Town at Anfield. The visitors took a shock lead through Daniel Udoh before the Reds responded through Kaide Gordon, who notched his first senior goal for the club. Fabinho then fired the home side ahead from the penalty spot after Ethan Ebanks-Landell handled in the box. Roberto Firmino ensured that his side would be in the hat for the next round with a sublime backheel before Fabinho notched his second in stoppage time.

90' + 4' FULL-TIME: LIVERPOOL 4-1 SHREWSBURY TOWN

Fabinho

Goal

90' + 3' GOALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!!! FABINHO NOTCHES HIS SECOND!!!!! 4-1 LIVERPOOL!!!!! The Reds end the game with a flourish as Fabinho scores on the rebound. Tsimikas whips a dangerous free-kick into the box from the right flank that Fabinho attacks. His header is blocked by Pennington, but he pounces on the loose ball to hammer an effort on the half-volley past Marosi from a tight angle.

J. Norris

T. Morton

90' + 2' Norris enters the action to replace Morton for the closing seconds.

C. Caton

L. Leahy

90' + 2' Caton comes on the field for the final minute to replace Leahy.

K. Tsimikas

A. Robertson

90' + 2' Robertson looked sore after being caught by Daniels. Tsimikas replaces him for the closing stages.

90' There will be three minutes of added time.

J. Daniels

Yellow Card

89' Daniels catches Robertson on the back of the ankle and goes into the book just a minute after entering the action.

J. Daniels

E. Bennett

88' Daniels replaces Bennett for the closing stages of the game for Shrewsbury.

87' Kelleher takes a loose touch under pressure from Janneh, but the keeper is fortunate to retain possession before finding Morton with a hurried offload.

87' Firmino has scored 10 goals as a substitute for Liverpool under Klopp, with only Divock Origi (11) netting more from the bench in this period.

85' A miscommunication between Pennington and Marosi forces the keeper to place the ball into touch after the defender put his backpass into a dangerous area.

84' BLOCK! Leahy gets back for Shrewsbury to make a vital challenge to prevent Firmino's shot from finding the target.

T. Bloxham

R. Bowman

83' Bowman is withdrawn from the final third and is replaced by Bloxham.

A. Pierre

N. Ogbeta

83' Pierre enters the action to replace Ogbeta down the left flank for the visitors.

S. Janneh

D. Udoh

83' Udoh is withdrawn by the visitors after a fine performance, including a goal. Janneh replaces the forward.

M. Frauendorf

K. Gordon

81' Frauendorf comes on to the field and replaces the scorer of Liverpool's first goal, Gordon.

E. Ebanks-Landell

Yellow Card

80' Ebanks-Landell wipes out Minamino on the charge and goes into the book.

I. Konaté

Assist

78' Konate collects Bradley's cutback and fires at goal. It hits Firmino on its way and the forward completes the finish from six yards.

Roberto Firmino

Goal

78' GOALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!!!!! FIRMINO SCORES A SUBLIME BACKHEEL!!!!!!!!!! 3-1 LIVERPOOL!!!!!! The Brazil international surely sends the Reds through to the fourth round with a delightful backheel from six yards. Shrewsbury fail to clear their lines from Robertson's free-kick and it allows Fabinho to send Bradley down the right flank. He cuts the ball back for Konate to fire at goal. The defender scuffs his effort towards Firmino, who ensures it finds the back of the net with a great finish with the back of his right heel.

77' Minamino is clipped from behind by Vela and Liverpool are awarded a free-kick in a useful position.

74' Klopp has introduced some of his big guns from the bench, but the Reds are struggling to kill off the game. Liverpool need to up the ante if they are to avoid a nervy final 10 minutes.

72' Vela latches on to a pass from Udoh in the final third, but he can only strike his effort well over the bar. The Shrews are still in the game.

71' BLOCK! Bennett works the ball across to Udoh on the edge of the Liverpool box and he hammers a strike towards goal. Konate puts his body on the line to block the effort.

70' Minamino and Firmino attempt to combine on the edge of the Shrewsbury box, but Vela does well to anticipate and intercept a flick from the former.

68' Udoh pounces on a mistake by Konate and runs at the Liverpool defence. He picks out the run of Leahy, but his cross into the middle is cleared by Van Dijk.

65' Morton latches on to an offload from Firmino and goes for a blast at goal that is deflected wide of the left post by Leahy.

Roberto Firmino

E. Dixon-Bonner

64' Dixon-Bonner is withdrawn from the action and is replaced by Firmino.

62' Aged 17 years and 96 days, Gordon is the second-youngest goalscorer in Liverpool's history, after only Ben Woodburn v Leeds in November 2016 (17 years 45 days).

60' Jones offloads to Gordon in space in the right-inside channel, but he sees his effort charged down before Morton takes possession. The midfielder goes down in the box, but the referee waves play on.

58' Minamino turns away from Davis in the final third and offloads to Jones in space. He fakes the strike with his left boot and cuts back on his right to fire at goal, but Ebanks-Landell holds firm with a block.

55' Shrewsbury are battling all over the pitch. There's no easy pass for Liverpool to make, highlighting the impressive work rate of the visitors this afternoon.

53' The game is still in the balance in the early stages of the second half. Marosi's save to deny Dixon-Bonner could be a vital one in the context of the match.

51' Van Dijk sells Kelleher short with a poor backpass that almost allows Leahy to make the interception, but the keeper just clears ahead of the midfielder.

49' BLOCK! Robertson gets down the left flank and cuts the ball back to Dixon-Bonner in the box. He goes for a strike from close range, but Marosi makes a vital block to deny the midfielder.

48' Bennett gets forward down the right flank and he lifts a useful cross into the box for the Shrews. Kelleher makes the early decision to come off his line and he makes the claim.

T. Minamino

M. Woltman

46' Minamino enters the action at the break for the home side to replace Woltman in the final third.

46' We're back under way at Anfield.

Shrewsbury have played well in the contest and there is hope for the visitors on the break. Udoh and Ryan Bowman have caused problems for Liverpool in the final third. The issue will be keeping the Reds at bay in the second half as they were signs that the League One outfit were beginning to struggle at the back.

Liverpool lead Shrewsbury Town 2-1 in their FA Cup third-round clash at Anfield, although the Reds were given a mighty scare. Daniel Udoh put the League One outfit ahead with a blast from close range. The Reds required a response and got it through a cool finish from Kaide Gordon for his first senior goal. A mistake by Ethan Ebanks-Landell handed the home side a chance to take the lead from the penalty spot before the break and Fabinho duly obliged.

45' + 3' HALF-TIME: LIVERPOOL 2-1 SHREWSBURY

45' + 2' CHANCE! A throw-in from Nurse causes problems for Kelleher in the Liverpool box. He comes off his line and fails to gather the ball. Vela heads it back towards the middle and Bowman glance a header at the target, but Kelleher gets back to make the save.

45' There will be two minutes of added time.

Fabinho

Penalty Goal

44' GOALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!!!!!! FABINHO CONVERTS!!!!!!!! 2-1 LIVERPOOL!!!!!!! The Reds complete a first-half comeback as the Brazil international blasts a strike into the bottom-left corner. Fabinho sends Marosi the wrong way and has no issue finding the net to hand the Premier League side the lead.

43' PENALTY TO LIVERPOOL! Ebanks-Landell handles the ball in the box from Robertson's free-kick and the referee points to the spot. Without Salah, Fabinho will take the spot-kick.

42' Leahy brings down Fabinho, handing Liverpool a free-kick in a threatening position.

40' OFFSIDE! Udoh races through on goal before slamming a strike into the side-netting on his left foot. The flag goes up late against the forward, much to the frustration of both sides.

39' Robertson surges down the left flank and clips a cross into the box that just evades the late run of Jones in the middle.

38' BLOCK! Woltman twists and turns in the final third and lines up a strike on his left foot that Vela has to divert behind for a corner.

36' DISALLOWED GOAL! Bowman rises in the box to power a header past Kelleher following a cross from Leahy, but he stops his celebration immediately as the flag goes up for offside.

K. Gordon

Goal

34' GOALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!!! GORDON RESPONDS FOR LIVERPOOL!!!!!!! 1-1!!!!!!!! Gordon produces a composed finish from close range to notch the equaliser. Bradley is played into space down the right flank and he delivers a precise cross for the forward. Gordon takes a good first touch and does not panic under pressure. He places a low strike on his left foot past Marosi into the bottom-left corner with precision. The teenager scores his first senior goal for the club.

C. Bradley

Assist

34' Bradley makes a good run down the right flank and picks out Gordon with a fine low cross before the forward applies the finish.

32' OVER! Jones cuts inside from the left flank and goes for a drive on his right foot that he blazes well over the bar.

30' Leahy and Bennett go for the one-two in the Liverpool box, which sees the latter take a good touch before being tripped by Bradley. However, play is called back for offside against Bennett. That would have been an interesting call had Bennett remained onside.

29' Ogbeta breaks into space again down the left flank. His touch lets him down on this occasion, but Leahy takes over to win a corner for the visitors.

N. Ogbeta

Assist

27' Ogbeta causes havoc down the left flank with a great run and cross that is finished in style by Udoh.

D. Udoh

Goal

27' GOALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!!!!!! UDOH PUTS SHREWSBURY AHEAD!!!!!!!!! 1-0!!!!!!! What a moment for Udoh as he smashes a strike past Kelleher from close range. Ogbeta causes havoc down the left flank once more and he sends another brilliant cross into the box. On this occasion, Udoh is there and he makes no mistake hammering an effort into the top-left corner. The Shrews are in dreamland at Anfield.

26' Udoh works the ball into the path of Ogbeta in the final third and he drills a dangerous ball across the face of goal. However, there's no Shrewsbury player there to convert at the back post.

23' OVER! Robertson lifts a free-kick into the box from the left flank after Vela fouls Jones in the final third. Van Dijk rises in the box to attack the cross, but he plants his effort well over the bar.

22' Jones runs into the left-inside channel and offloads wide to Robertson to send a cross into the box. Pennington rises above Woltman to clear the danger.

20' SAVE! Gordon runs at the Shrewsbury defence down the right flank before cutting inside to shoot on his left foot. He fires low and hard at goal, but Marosi gets down to push his effort past the right post.

19' Pennington launches a long ball forward from the back that almost releases Udoh in behind. Kelleher has to race off his line to clear ahead of the forward, although the Shrewsbury man was offside anyway.

17' Shrewsbury are not backing down from the challenge this afternoon. They're not allowing the Reds to dictate the pace of the game.

15' PENALTY SHOUT! Gordon turns away from Nurse in the right-inside channel and goes down under pressure from the defender. Gordon looks to the referee for a penalty, but David Coote waves play on.

M. Pennington

Yellow Card

13' Former Everton defender Pennington goes into the book for pulling back Jones on the charge.

12' Davis brings down Jones on the left flank and it allows Robertson to curl a free-kick into the box. Konate rises to head at goal, but he loops his effort over the top.

11' BLOCK! Liverpool probe down the left flank before Jones tees up Morton for a strike, but he sees his effort charged down by Pennington.

9' Woltman catches Leahy with a late challenge and gives away a free-kick in the middle of the park.

8' Davis launches a ball over the top for Udoh to chase. The forward gets in behind Konate, but the ball skips off the surface into the hands of Kelleher.

5' Vela wins possession for Shrewsbury and makes a run down the right flank. He carves out space for a cross, but he can only send it behind when aiming for the near post.

4' Liverpool work the resulting corner short, but the visitors hold firm at the back to repel the threat as Ogebta blocks another delivery into the middle.

3' Gordon has a probe down the right flank and wins a corner for the home side off the legs of Ogbeta.

1' We're under way at Anfield.

Shrewsbury have been eliminated from the FA Cup by Premier League opponents in five of the last six seasons, with three of those ties going to a replay. They lost 1-0 to Southampton last season in the third round.

Cotterill is in the forunate position of naming an unchanged side from his team that defeated Sheffield Wednesday in their last outing on 2 January. Udoh and Bowman lead the line in front of a five-man midfield. Former Everton defender Pennington anchors the back three alongside Ebanks-Landell and Nurse.

Liverpool are seemingly down to the bare bones in their options given the amount of injuries, international absences and COVID-19 cases in the squad. As a result, Dixon-Bonner, Bradley, Woltman and Gordon all come into the fold across the line-up. Morton has been in and around the side this term and he holds down the midfield alongside Fabinho. Without Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane, who have left to compete at the Africa Cup of Nations, Woltman and Gordon start in the final third alongside Jones. Trent Alexander-Arnold is the latest COVID-19 case in the squad and he subsequently misses out.

SHREWSBURY SUBS: Aaron Pierre, Sam Cosgrove, Harry Burgoyne, Rekeil Pyke, Tom Bloxham, Charlie Caton, Joshua Daniels, Kade Craig, Saikou Janneh.

SHREWSBURY (3-5-2): Marko Marosi; Matthew Pennington, Ethan Ebanks-Landell, George Nurse; Elliott Bennett, Josh Vela, David Davis, Luke Leahy, Nathanael Ogbeta; Ryan Bowman, Daniel Udoh.

LIVERPOOL SUBS: Roberto Firmino, Adrian, Takumi Minamino, Konstantinos Tsimikas, Joel Matip, Isaac Mabaya, James Norris, James Balagizi, Melkamu Frauendorf.

LIVERPOOL (4-3-3): Caoimhin Kelleher; Conor Bradley, Virgil van Dijk, Ibrahima Konate, Andrew Robertson; Tyler Morton, Fabinho, Elijah Dixon-Bonner; Kaide Gordon, Max Woltman, Curtis Jones.

Shrewsbury's best run in the competition came in the1981/82 season when the club progressed to the sixth round only to lose at the hands of Leicester City. The Shrews did reach the fifth round in 2016, but were soundly beaten by Manchester United. Steve Cotterill will be hopeful for a spirited performance from the League One outfit this afternoon after beating Stratford Town and Carlisle United to progress to this stage of the competition. Shrewsbury are unbeaten in their last four matches, but it will take a special effort to pull off the unthinkable at Anfield.

Liverpool have not won the FA Cup in 16 years, last lifting the trophy in 2006 after defeating West Ham United in the final. The Reds last reached the final of the competition in 2012, and have struggled in recent seasons to make a meaningful run, failing to progress beyond the fifth round for the last six years. Jurgen Klopp is fit to return to the sideline after contracting COVID-19 after the club were forced to postpone the first leg of their EFL Cup semi-final clash with Arsenal. Liverpool have been up and down of late, but will be hopeful of a simple win to advance to the next round.

Good afternoon and welcome to the third round FA Cup clash between Liverpool and Shrewsbury Town at Anfield.

Liverpool v Shrewsbury Town Live Commentary, 09/01/2022

Key Events

Match Stats

Commentary