The FA Cup fifth round was a gripping affair, with Manchester United and Liverpool both securing victories to set up a mouthwatering quarter-final clash.
United were under pressure heading into their tie away at Nottingham Forest, but they managed to scrape through with a 1-0 win thanks to Casemiro’s late goal.
Liverpool, fresh from their League Cup triumph over Chelsea just a few days earlier, relied on their youngsters to see off second-tier Southampton 3-0 at Anfield.
Liverpool’s ball boys paraded the League Cup around Anfield before kick-off, and Jurgen Klopp’s young guns did not disappoint.
Despite a raft of injuries to key players such as Mohamed Salah, Darwin Nunez, Diogo Jota, and Alisson Becker, Liverpool’s youngsters stepped up to the plate. Lewis
Koumas, the son of former Wales and West Brom midfielder Jason Koumas, marked his debut with the opening goal in the 44th minute.
Jayden Danns, another 18-year-old offspring of a former player, netted Liverpool’s second in the 73rd minute with a composed finish that belied his tender age.
James McConnell and Bobby Clark also impressed for Liverpool, with the latter making his debut for the club.
Klopp introduced 16-year-old Trey Nyoni in the second half, making him the youngest-ever FA Cup player for Liverpool.
Danns capped off the victory in the 88th minute, lashing home in front of The Kop.
Klopp was full of praise for his youngsters, saying: “We don’t take these things for granted. The situation is horribly difficult. We have too many games and not enough players. They (the youngsters) have got to learn and improve, but it was a top performance.”
Meanwhile, Manchester United were facing a potential upset against Nottingham Forest.
United boss Erik ten Hag was under pressure heading into the game, with British billionaire Jim Ratcliffe linked with a move for former Real Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane.
A loss to Forest would have been a major blow for Ten Hag, who is already under pressure after a shock 2-1 home defeat against Fulham in the Premier League.
However, United managed to scrape through with a 1-0 win, with Bruno Fernandes’ free-kick headed in by Casemiro in the 89th minute.
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The FA Cup represents United’s last chance for silverware this season, and Ten Hag will be hoping that the win at Forest proves to be a launchpad for sustained success at the club.
United have now reached the FA Cup quarter-finals for a record 48th time, and Ten Hag will be hoping to emulate former boss Alex Ferguson’s success in 1990.
Elsewhere, Chelsea bounced back from their League Cup final defeat to Liverpool with a hard-fought 3-2 win over Championship promotion chasers Leeds.
Mauricio Pochettino was under pressure heading into the game, but Conor Gallagher’s late winner ensured that Chelsea progressed to the quarter-finals.
It was the first FA Cup tie between Chelsea and Leeds since the Blues won the 1970 FA Cup final replay, which was regarded as one of the most vicious matches in English football history.
In other fixtures, Wolves beat Brighton 1-0 at Molineux thanks to Mario Lemina’s goal after just 77 seconds.
Holders Manchester City beat Luton 6-2 on Tuesday and will host Newcastle in the other quarter-final.
The full draw for the quarter-finals is as follows:
Wolves vs Coventry
Manchester United vs Liverpool
Chelsea vs Leicester
Manchester City vs Newcastle.
The ties will be played across the weekend of March 16-17.
