Analysis from Connor O'Neill as Liverpool eased into the fifth round of the FA Cup by beating Brighton on Saturday evening
Milos Kerkez, Mohamed Salah and Dominik Szoboszlai all impressed for Liverpool
Milos Kerkez, Mohamed Salah and Dominik Szoboszlai all impressed for Liverpool(Image: AFP via Getty Images)
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Liverpool’s summer transfer business has been a hot topic of conversation so far this season.
It seems like everyone has had their say on what the club should or shouldn’t have done, as they spent over £400million.
But while the Reds opted to splash the cash on a number of high-profile transfers, one deal that was viewed by many as a coup was the one that saw Milos Kerkez move to Anfield from Bournemouth.
The Reds beat off competition from Manchester City to secure the left-back in a deal that cost them £40m.
In today’s world £40m is nothing. But Kerkez’s start to the season was not what he or those inside the corridors of power at Anfield would have envisaged.
He certainly had to endure plenty of low points. And even suffered the embarrassment of being hooked in the first-half against Burnley back in September.
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Something that no footballer, whether professional or amateur, wants to endure. But on that afternoon at Turf Moor, Kerkez did.
Yes, there have been tough moments since then and times when Liverpool supporters were rightly calling for Andy Robertson to be given the nod over the 24-year-old.
Jamie Carragher even went as far as saying in January that having Kerkez at left-back was like having Darwin Nunez in that position.
"Sometimes, when you watch Kerkez, it's like having Darwin Nunez at left-back, it's just a bit mad,” the former defender said.
“There's no real thought process; what's he doing with the ball? How's he connecting with other players? It's just head down, run. He never gets his head up and actually plays passes."
But fast forward to now and the reality is very different for Kerkez. He’s not only established himself as Liverpool’s first-choice left-back, but he has been one of his side’s most consistent performers in recent weeks.
And there was no sign of any erratic play when he set-up Liverpool’s first goal here, as he picked his head up and fired the perfect cross into the box that allowed Curtis Jones to turn the ball home.
Kerkez also showed he was up for the fight in the first-half and in the second-half he produced a great intervention to stop a Brighton chance.
There have been a lot of justifiable questions asked about Liverpool’s recruitment in the summer, but questions about Kerkez specifically have long stopped.
That’s because the Liverpool star has silenced his critics with his impressive displays and showed why many believed his transfer was a coup for the club in the summer.
No greater fitting farewell
The last time Mohamed Salah faced Brighton & Hove Albion at Anfield, some wondered whether they would ever see him in a Liverpool shirt again.
That was back in December and came just a week after he delivered an explosive interview following the draw with Leeds United.
In the interview, Salah accused Liverpool of “throwing him under the bus” and said his relationship with the club’s head coach, Arne Slot, was over.
He was subsequently omitted from the squad for the Champions League win over Inter Milan at the San Siro and instead posted a picture on his social media platforms of him alone in the club’s gym facility at their AXA training headquarters.
The forward would return to his side’s matchday squad for the 2-0 Premier League victory over Fabian Hurzeler’s side, coming off the bench for Joe Gomez after just 26 minutes.
Back then, as Salah departed for the Africa Cup of Nations, his Liverpool future certainly appeared up in the air as a number of Saudi Pro League clubs followed his situation.
But by the time he returned from Morocco last month, there was no chance that he would be leaving Anfield during the winter window.
He returned to action almost immediately after three games without a goal and got his name back on the scoresheet here.
Granted, it was from the penalty spot and came after he had wasted a good chance in the first-half, but this was Salah doing what he does best, and that is scoring goals.
Nobody knows what the future holds for the forward and Liverpool. Some believe this could be his last season at Anfield. We will have to wait and see if that is the case.
There is no denying that when Salah does leave Liverpool, he will do so as one of the club’s all-time greats.
Which is why if this is his last season at the club, it would be fitting he departs having fired his side to FA Cup glory at Wembley.
Federico Chiesa failed to take his chance
In recent months Federico Chiesa’s song has been given more airtime than he has had gametime at Anfield.
But on a night in which his boss went as strong as possible, Chiesa was handed the chance to make a statement and show why he deserves more gametime.
But it was a chance that he failed to take. Granted, it is tough to come in from the cold and immediately hit the ground running.
However, this just felt like one of those nights when nothing came off for the Italy international.
You really couldn't fault his work ethic; he certainly tried to make things happen, but the fact that by the time we approached the end of the first-half he had only had five touches of the ball spoke volumes.
In the second half, he was moved into the middle from the left, as Arne Slot clearly sought to get more from the attacker.
It didn’t really work. Yes, he was involved in more, but Chiesa never looked like scoring or offered the sort of attacking threat that the Reds have become used to with Hugo Ekitike leading the line.
Chiesa, who was withdrawn with 13 minutes of normal time remaining, could certainly still have a part to play in Liverpool’s season, especially if Slot’s side are battling for a place in the top five, the Champions League and the FA Cup.
But if the 28-year-old was hoping to give his manager a headache with his performance here, then he certainly failed to do that.
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