Liverpool booked their spot in the FA Cup fifth round with a 5-2 thrashing of Championship side Norwich City on Sunday evening.
Alisson Becker, Ibrahim Konate, James McConell, Curtis Jones and Diogo Jota were welcomed back by the Reds and replaced Caoimhin Kelleher, Virgil Van Dijk, Alexis Mac Allister, Harvey Elliott, and Luis Diaz two days after manager Jurgen Klopp announced he will depart at the end of the season.
In-form striker Darwin Nunez looked for the opener on eight minutes with a quick shot-on-the turn following a loose ball on the area, but struck the post.
It took the Reds just six minutes though to get ahead after an unmarked Curtis Jones met James McConnell’s diagonal delivery to head in the far corner.
The lead was short-lived after the Championship boys levelled when a run to the near post allowed Ben Gibson to direct Gabriel Sara’s corner over a rasping Alisson.
Norwich had all the confidence, but were undone again as their build-up pattern led to a turnover and Nunez pounced to fire in the bottom-corner.
More uncertain play at the back from the visitors followed after the half-hour mark and a last-gasp clearance from the goal-line were needed to thwart Ryan Gravenberch giving the Reds a third.
The Canaries entered the second half sitting deep and conceded again when Jota capitalised on a loose clearance to get goal-side and dispatched from close-range.
Klopp freshened up the outfit ten minutes in, as Van Dijk, Andrew Robertson, Dominik Szoboszlai stepped on for Konate, Jones and Joe Gomez.
Van Dijk and Szoboszlai combined to make it four five minutes after entering as the latter’s pin-point corner rolled straight through to the Dutchman, who headed in the near post.
Norwich reduced the tally six minutes later when substitute Borja Sainz ran towards the area from midfield and slammed a long-range strike in off the post.
The Reds remained threatening though and a 30-metre drive from Trent Alexander-Arnold had goalkeeper George Long in a spot of bother.
Liverpool added a fifth in additional time when Gravenberch latched onto Conor Bradley’s square delivery to head in from close-range, and see them to a resounding victory.
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