At Anfield, the Leverkusen coach was sensational
There are countless details about this matchup that are rarely remembered because so much time has to pass before these two universities meet again on an English pitch; the last time was in the 2008 FA Cup third round, where Liverpool defeated Luton 5-0 at Anfield. Only a few days remain until the Premier League’s matchday eleven match between Liverpool and Luton begins.
While the most recent records for a match between these two teams in the Premier League date back to the 1991–1992 season, when the Reds prevailed 2-1, the most memorable matches in competitions like the FA Cup date back to the 2005–2006 season, when the Merseysie team travelled to the rival team’s field to produce one of the best duels of the third round, ending in a 5–3 victory for the Reds and capped off by a spectacular goal by Xabi Alonso, which is still one of the best goals ever scored at the club.
In addition to Steven Gerrard’s lone goal, the Reds pulled off an incredible comeback during that game, going 3-2 thanks to Florind Sinama’s assist. Xabi Alonso then added a brilliant long-range goal to tie the score at three, but just when it looked like Sinama-Pongolle took the MVP award with his double that turned the game into a 4-3 draw, in the 94th minute, Xabi scored a perfect shot from behind the midfield, using great placement and power that even the team’s best current attackers could not match.
This Sunday, the current team will attempt to surpass Xabi Alosno.
Darwin Nunez and other forwards may want to surpass Alonso in terms of goals scored in a single game against Luton, but at the same time, players like Dominick Szoboszlai may try to match the Spanish player’s tally of goals. Szoboszlai is the perfect player for this task because of his excellent mid-range shot, which attracted the attention of the Reds when he was a player for R.B. Leipzig.
Darwin Nunez’s goal a few days ago in the fight against Bournemouth may be the most recent Cup goal with these positioning and power qualities, however the Uruguayan attacker’s strike was not in the FA Cup but the League Cup and was also not as impressive as Xabi’s 17 years prior.
