Liverpool cruised into the fifth round of the FA Cup with a 5-2 rout of Championship side Norwich City on Sunday, to kick off Jurgen Klopp’s long goodbye at Anfield.
Liverpool’s beloved manager announced on Friday that he would leave the Merseyside team at the end of this season, his ninth at the helm.
“I get it, it’s very emotional,” Klopp told the BBC. “I just have to make sure that I don’t get on that side of it. (And) in the games, we need to be warriors and not celebrate the old man on the side lines.”
Anfield’s faithful serenaded Klopp to the tune of The Beatles’ ‘I Feel Fine,’ singing: “I’m so glad that Juergen is a red. I’m so glad he delivered what he said.”
“First match after the news and we can get used to it,” Klopp said.
The eight-times FA Cup winners progressed thanks to goals from Curtis Jones, Darwin Nunez, Diogo Jota, Virgil van Dijk and Ryan Gravenberch.
“It was a perfect game,” Jones told ITV. “There were loads of goals scored and we didn’t have any injuries.”
Asked if the team can use Klopp’s departure as motivation, Jones said: “Definitely. We had our goals at the start of the season and now the news is out, we’ll be giving it more.”
Liverpool will play either Watford or Southampton after their fourth-round game earlier on Sunday ended in a 1-1 draw thanks to a last-gasp goal by Southampton’s Stuart Armstrong forced a replay.
Ben Gibson and Borja Sainz scored Norwich City’s goals at Anfield. Norwich are ninth in the Championship, 28 spots below Premier League leaders Liverpool in England’s football pyramid.
