Gabriel Sara of Norwich City and Ryan Gravenberch of Liverpool battle for the ball during the Emirates FA Cup Fourth Round match between Liverpool and Norwich City at Anfield on Jan. 28, in Liverpool, England.Clive Brunskill/Getty Images
It was business as usual for Liverpool in its first game since Jürgen Klopp announced his shock decision to walk away at the end of the season.
The Merseyside club advanced to the fifth round of the FA Cup after a 5-2 win against second-tier Norwich on Sunday.
How Klopp would love to end his trophy-laden reign on a winning note by guiding Liverpool to more silverware this year. And victory at Anfield kept alive his team’s four-pronged trophy pursuit after it already secured a place in League Cup final earlier in the week.
Liverpool also tops the Premier League and is in the knockout stage of the Europa League.
The customary rendition of You’ll Never Walk Alone felt even more emotionally charged than usual as fans showed their appreciation for Klopp before kickoff.
The German smiled as he drank in the atmosphere, but if there were any concerns the announcement of his departure would take the edge off his team, there was little sign of that as it routed Norwich.
“It was great for the fans to show their love to me and we need an atmosphere on the pitch,” Klopp said. “We need the crowd and for them not to think about the manager. We need to forget it for a while and go for each opponent like crazy and that’s what we want to do and the next chance is on Wednesday [against Chelsea in the league].”
Curtis Jones opened the scoring in the 16th minute and although Ben Gibson levelled for the visitors six minutes later, Darwin Núñez restored Liverpool’s advantage.
His strike in the 28th gave Liverpool a halftime lead and goals from Diogo Jota in the 53rd and Virgil Van Dijk in the 63rd put the home team in control.
Borja Sainz’s stunning goal in the 69th made it 4-2, but there was little danger of Klopp’s day being spoiled and Ryan Gravenberch completed the scoring in the fifth minute of time added on.
Liverpool plays Watford or Southampton in the next round.
UNITED SCARE
The Cup represents Erik ten Hag’s last realistic chance of a trophy in his second season at the club and it took second-half goals from Antony and Rasmus Hojlund to secure the Premier League team’s place in the next round. United had quickly raced in front through goals from Bruno Fernandes in the seventh minute and Kobbie Mainoo in the 13th. But Ten Hag’s team was shocked when Bryn Morris pulled one back with a deflected long shot in the 36th. And it took only two minutes of the second half for Will Evans to slide in an equalizer. In front of incoming United director Dave Brailsford, it had the potential to be a humbling day for Ten Hag – even if the game had ended in a draw. But when Luke Shaw’s curling shot hit the post, Antony was quick to react and converted the rebound from an angle in the 68th. Hojlund made certain of the win in the fourth minute of stoppage time. United will play Bristol City or Nottingham Forest in the next round.
CROWD TROUBLE
The FA Cup fourth-round soccer match between local rivals West Bromwich Albion and Wolverhampton was paused on Sunday after “dangerous and inexcusable” crowd trouble.
The English Football Association quickly launched an investigation after the scenes at the Hawthorns, which led to players fearing for the safety of their families inside the stadium.
West Midlands Police confirmed two arrests were made after the second-half disorder – and one before the game – and one person was taken to hospital with head injuries.
“The disorder that occurred at the Black Country derby between West Bromwich Albion and Wolverhampton Wanderers is completely unacceptable,” the Football Association said. “Safety and security are of the utmost importance, and the behaviour of those involved is dangerous and inexcusable. We will be investigating these serious incidents alongside the clubs and the relevant authorities, and the appropriate action will be taken.”
The main disturbance occurred in the corner of the West Stand and the Birmingham Road End, a section meant only for home supporters.
Police and stewards rushed to the area but security also had to be increased on the opposite side of the ground soon after as the atmosphere became increasingly hostile. There had also been pockets of trouble elsewhere in the ground earlier in the game, which had been designated high risk with increased security and an 11:45 a.m. kickoff ordered.
A police statement read: “We have extra officers at this local derby and they responded immediately as disorder in the stands caused fans to spill onto the pitch. Two people have been arrested for public-order offences.
The game was stopped shortly after Matheus Cunha gave the visiting Wolves a 2-0 lead in the 78th minute and both teams were taken off the field by referee Thomas Bramall.
Play was resumed after a lengthy delay and Wolves saw out a 2-0 win.
WOMEN’S ROUNDUP
In English Women’s Super League action, Manchester City beat Tottenham Hotspur 2-0 to move within three points of league-leader Chelsea, which has 31 points. Arsenal also kept pace, beating Liverpool 2-0 to move to 28 points. Elsewhere, it was Manchester United 2, Aston Villa 1; Leicester City 1, Everton 1; and West Ham United 2, Bristol City 1.