Liverpool hosted Championship side Brighton in the fifth round of the FA Cup on Sunday and ended up winning the match in rather comfortable fashion thereby booking a berth in the quarter-finals of the competition. The Reds scored a whopping 6 times,with three of their goals being helped on their way in by their overwhelmed visitors. Brighton though did get one legitimate effort past Pepe Reina as they left Anfield with a consolation goal to show for their travels. The hosts opened the scoring in the 5th minute through Martin Skrtel, before Kazenga LuaLua equalised with a free-kick in the 17th minute. However, it was all Liverpool from then on, with Liam Bridcutt scoring an own goal just before half-time and Andy Carroll doubling the lead in the 57th minute.
Brighton were in for a rough night as Bridcutt scored his second own goal of the night in the 71st minute, before Lewis Dunk too joined the party with an own goal of his own 3 minutes later. Luis Suarez too didn’t miss out as he scored with a close range header 5 minutes from time, after having missed a penalty earlier.
Liverpool started the match with a 4-4-2 formation with controversial Uruguayan hitman Luis Suarez lining up alongside Andy Carroll upfront. Steven Gerrard and Charlie Adam were deployed at the centre of the field, while out wide were the duo of Jordan Henderson and Stewart Downing. The defence saw Jamie Carragher returning to the lineup alongside Martin Skrtel, with Glen Johnson on the right and Jose Enrique on the left.
Visitors Brighton meanwhile also began the match with a 4-4-2 formation with Adam El-Abd, Lewis Dunk, Gordon Greer and Inigo Calderon forming the defence. The midfield comprised of Liam Bridcutt and Alan Navarro at the centre, with Kazenga LuaLua and Will Buckley out wide, while the strikeforce consisted of Sam Vokes and Ashley Barnes.
Kenny Dalglish had fielded a full strength team and it took the Reds just 5 minutes to get in front as defender Martin Skrtel headed the ball into the back of the net following a corner from captain Steven Gerrard. Brighton tried to reply immediately, but Sam Vokes’ long range shot just a minute later was saved comfortably by Pepe Reina.
As expected, Liverpool were dominating play at home and were in full control after the opening 10 minutes. However, a moment of brilliance drew Brighton level in the 17th minute as LuaLua equalised with a well taken long range free-kick after Jordan Henderson had brought him down. Andy Carroll had a shot blocked in the 24th minute and just 3 minutes later Sam Vokes tried to shoot from inside the box , only to see the ball drift wide off target.
Carroll then missed a golden chance in the 32nd minute as he failed to take advantage of Gerrard’s cross and ended up heading over the bar. Adam El-Abd saw a shot saved by Reina in the 41st minute, before Liverpool• once again•got their noses in front on the stroke of half-time•courtesy Liam Bridcutt, who tried to keep out Glen Johnson’s close range header, but ended up scoring an own goal. That was the last of the action in the first half.
The second half again saw Liverpool running the show, with Jordan Henderson coming close to increasing the Reds’ tally in the 52nd minute. The midfielder then saw another attempt saved 3 minutes later by Peter Brezovan as the Reds continued to look for their third goal.
The goal did come eventually as Andy Carroll found his scoring touch in the 57th minute, after Stewart Downing had found him inside the box with a cross. Downing, who has made hitting the post a habit this term, failed to even do that in the 64th minute as his shot from just outside the box went wide.
The hosts were comfortable from then on and took their foot off the pedal, as both teams failed to create any clear cut chances. However, Liverpool’s dominance led them to score another one in the 71st minute, with Bridcutt scoring his second own goal of the night after Gerrard’s shot deflected off him into the back of the net. To add insult to Brighton’s proverbial injury, the hosts scored their 5th of the night 3 minutes later, this time too courtesy of an own goal, with Lewis Dunk scoring at the wrong end as he tried to clear Suarez’ cross.
Liverpool could’ve made it 6-1 in the 81st minute as Craig Noone brought Dirk Kuyt down inside the box to gift the Reds a penalty. Suarez, however, failed to score from the spot as he saw his shot saved by Brezovan, with Kuyt hitting the bar from the resulting corner. The Uruguayan though did make amends for his penalty miss 4 minutes later as he scored with an easy close range header, after Andy Carroll had set him up. That was the last of the action, as Liverpool emerged comfortable winners and booked their place in the next stage of the competition.
Kenny Dalglish will be ecstatic with his side’s display, although Liverpool now face a stern test in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup, with Stoke City their next opponents. Other matches in the quarter-finals will see either Chelsea or Birmingham face Leicester City, Everton locking horns with Sunderland and either Stevenage or Tottenham going up against Bolton Wanderers. All matches are scheduled to be held between the 16th and 19th of March.
Teams:
Liverpool: Reina, Johnson, Enrique, Carragher, Skrtel, Adam, Gerrard (Shelvey 76’), Downing (Maxi 76’), Henderson (Kuyt 76’), Carroll, Suarez.
Subs: Doni, Maxi, Coates, Kelly, Kuyt, Shelvey, Spearing.
Brighton: Brezovan, El-Abd (Rodriguez 69’) , Greer, Dunk, Calderon, Buckley (Noone 46’), Navarro, Bridcutt, LuaLua, Barnes, Vokes (Mackail-Smith 69’)
Subs: Noone, Mackail-Smith, Ankergren, Rodriguez, Harley, Vincelot, Agdestein
Final Scoreline: Liverpool 6-1 Brighton (Skrtel 5’, LuaLua 17’,Bridcutt (o.g) 44’, Carroll 57’, Bridcutt (o’g’) 71’, Dunk (o.g.) 74’, Suarez 85’)
(TheSportsCampus)
