Amid Liverpool scoring four goals to knock Accrington Stanley out of the FA Cup, there were long-awaited reunions and surreal moments for players, on and off the pitch.
Liverpool struggled to get into their rhythm early on, but once Diogo Jota put the Reds ahead, the team began to up their tempo and punish Accrington Stanley with superior quality.
Aside from Jota, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Jayden Danns and Federico Chiesa all scored. As is often the case on FA Cup third round weekend, though, there was more to Saturday’s occasion than just the game.
Here are five things you may have missed from Liverpool’s 4-0 win against Accrington Stanley…
Trent Alexander-Arnold’s reunion with John Doolan
Lovely moment of Trent embracing the Accrington Stanley manager today.
He coached him as a 6-7 year old and wasn't sure Trent remembered him, Trent would go out of his way to find him after the game & told him he did remember pic.twitter.com/Sd77o683Ku
— Anfield Sector (@AnfieldSector) January 11, 2025
There are several connections linking Liverpool and Accrington Stanley, one such being that both manager John Doolan and assistant manager Ged Brannan hail from the city.
Doolan even used to coach at Liverpool’s academy where he “looked after Trent when he was six and seven,” as he recalled before the game.
After the match, the pair enjoyed a nice moment on the pitch before waving to the stands, possibly to Trent’s mother, Diane, whom Doolan spoke of fondly.
Alexis Mac Allister’s reaction to Federico Chiesa’s goal
LOL Macca and Diaz after the Chiesa goal pic.twitter.com/OAOr1RUp6J
— Joe (@LFC_PhD) January 11, 2025
Federico Chiesa‘s Liverpool career so far hasn’t exactly gone to plan.
When it was announced that he wouldn’t be starting against Accrington Stanley, there were even fears that Saturday would be another missed opportunity.
However, the Italian got to play the full second half and was bright on the right wing. When the No. 14 netted his first Liverpool goal, his teammates were thrilled, as was coach Arne Slot.
Arne Slot meets Josh Woods
Liverpool fan, Josh Woods, met Arne Slot after the game ?#EmiratesFACup pic.twitter.com/C2nveCd44e
— Emirates FA Cup (@EmiratesFACup) January 11, 2025
Accrington Stanley’s trip to Anfield was the stuff of dreams for a couple of boyhood Liverpool supporters among their ranks.
Josh Woods was a fan who started the game and despite coming out on the losing side, enjoyed a nice moment as he received applause while coming off in the 63rd minute.
Following the full-time whistle, he got to meet Slot and said it was now “back to reality” in League Two as Slot embraced him and said it had been “a special day.”
Trent and Liam Coyle swap shirts
Madness??? thanks very much lad?? @TrentAA @ASFCofficial https://t.co/KwPBzpOPxb
— Liam Coyle (@LiamCoyle_99) January 11, 2025
Another Liverpool supporter on the pitch, Liam Coyle, also experienced an unforgettable moment at Anfield on Saturday.
Having come through the Reds’ academy and played under-23 football for Liverpool, Liam Coyle left Accrington Stanley in 2021.
He returned to Anfield this weekend and got the chance to swap shirts with fellow academy graduate Alexander-Arnold after the match.
Great football move
… ??? pic.twitter.com/VQV1lbVEMp
— The Kop Watch (@TheKopWatch) January 11, 2025
Despite the heavily-rotated side, Liverpool played some nice football once they got going.
There was a passage of play in the second half, in particular, that got the crowd going, as Alexander-Arnold, Harvey Elliott, Darwin Nunez and Chiesa all combined quickly to create an opening down the right.
While the opposition may have been from the fourth tier, this was a move good enough to break down any team – imagine if the end result had been a goal!
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