With Bobby Clark, James McConnell, Bradley, and Koumas all starting for the Reds and contributing to their triumph, Klopp’s faith in his young players paid off tonight.
For Liverpool, who have eight academy graduates on their bench for the Sunday final, the future is undoubtedly bright.
“It feels pretty good for me, but I can’t imagine how this must feel for the boys,” he continued.
“This is the academy week.”
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Trey Nyoni, just 16 years old, earned his Liverpool debut before Jayden Danns, who had come off the bench in the second half, scored 11 minutes later with a brilliant chip to end the tie. It was almost like a fairytale film: more dreams continued coming true for kids at Anfield.
Eight members of Liverpool’s matchday squad were competing against Stoke in an Under 21s match at the AXA Training Centre a fortnight ago, in front of a mere 169 spectators. The youthful players for the Reds have experienced quite a whirlwind since they were pushed into the deep end.
However, their victory in the Carabao Cup on Sunday at Wembley demonstrated that they are more than capable of surviving, and certain players, like midfielders Bobby Clark and James McConnell, who made strong cameos against Chelsea were rewarded with starting spots today.
For this match against Southampton, who also made eight changes, six players on Liverpool’s starting lineup were 21 years of age or under. The newest member of the Kindergarten Kop is Lewis Koumas, a young forward who has scored 12 goals in 15 youth games this season.
Wales Like Clark, whose father Lee was a Newcastle icon, Koumas, an Under-19 international, has a well-known former football player for a father. Former midfielder for Cardiff and Wigan Jason has retired and leads a calm life, in contrast to his kid who was noisy all night.
Even before to his goal that opened the score just before halftime, Koumas was the best of the Liverpool colts, with a dynamic play on the left wing.
Similar to other youthful strikers, he attempted to create something each time the ball was passed to him.
Following many nifty darts into the penalty area that yielded nothing, Koumas finally lived the moment he had presumably been dreaming of every week since moving from Tranmere to the Reds at the age of eleven when his 20-yard strike caught Saints keeper Joe Lumley off guard.
It was not forgotten that Clark, a longtime teammate of the Chester-born hero and a year older than Koumas, was the guy to set him up for that goal. Minutes later, the two linked once more, and Koumas came dangerously close to piercing Cody Gakpo, but his finish was subpar.
But the Championship team was clearly in the lead up until their mad dash at the end of the first half.
With fewer than 40 seconds remaining, the Saints had the ball in the net. Although it was called out for offside, that set the tone for a large portion of the opening play.
Star player Adam Armstrong, who has 16 goals and 11 assists in the second division, and many of his senior teammates started the game on the bench, leaving Russell Martin’s team frequently frustrated by their lack of production as they repeatedly opened up Liverpool.
Danns sealed an emphatic victory for the home side with the third goal in the 88th minute
Koumas was embraced by Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp after his impressive debut
Five minutes in, Ghanaian winger Kamaldeen Sulemana—the quickest player at the 2022 World Cup based on sprint speed data—exploited space in behind the Reds defence and struck the post. Three times, Cup final hero Caoimhin Kelleher denied Sekou Mara.
But Liverpool only appeared to be looking to expand their lead when Danns broke through and dinked the ball over Lumley on minute 73, and Saints’ significantly revamped lineup withered away in the second half.
To round off an evening full of memorable memories, the son of former Premier League player Neil—who is currently assistant manager at Tranmere, a local League Two team—added his second.on 88 minutes, following a parried shot by Conor Bradley, with a poacher’s finish.