Jurgen Klopp's kids march on in FA Cup as Lewis Koumas and Jayden Danns fire Liverpool past Southampton

After reading the names ‘Koumas’ and ‘Danns’ on the scoresheet, fans of a certain age could be forgiven for believing they had accidentally checked in on a Championship clash between Cardiff and Crystal Palace circa 2010.

However, the Liverpool of 2024 (and beyond) are anything but second-tier as, rather than Jason and Neil, this was a case of Lewis Koumas and Jayden Danns registering their first goals for the club in a memorable 3-0 FA Cup win over Southampton.

Not memorable for the performance, mind, as the Reds relied on their opponents spurning multiple chances before make a slightly fortuitous breakthrough of their own and eventually wrapping up the tie with confidence, but in terms of the overall outcome and the all-important optics, this was just about everything Jurgen Klopp could have hoped for.

With a hefty 13 players ruled out through injury, including Mohamed Salah and Darwin Nunez once again, an almost-entirely youthful and/or second-string XI was tasked with overcoming a Saints team which had undergone the surgery of eight changes itself amid their Championship promotion push.

Russell Martin’s side started stronger, with a goal disallowed for offside after only 30 seconds before Kamaldeen Sulemana hit the post and Sekou Mara went close mere minutes later.

But a lack of end product failed to punish a sketchy first-half display from Liverpool, which nonetheless yielded the opening goal via Koumas with the break looming. Like his dad, the 18-year-old is a tricky winger with ace technique but a deflection off Jan Bednarek was key to his effort trickling into the bottom corner on his first start for a club he joined aged 11.

Sulemana and Mara came close again after the restart before Shea Charles wasted the best chance Southampton had all night, peeling off unmarked from a corner to the far post and scuffing a shot wide.

The visitors, as so many teams are at Anfield these days, were made to rue their misses when Danns, who very unlike his dad is a devilish attacker with an eye for goal, raced onto a ball in behind to beat the offside trap and chip home for 2-0.

The 18-year-old, signed up by Liverpool aged eight, then showed off his poacher’s instinct with the third on 88 minutes after a shot rebounded his way.

After conquering the Carabao Cup, few would reckon against Klopp’s kids having a fair old crack at the FA Cup. That is, apart from Manchester United, who await at Old Trafford in the quarter-finals.