Shrewsbury 2-2 Liverpool: League One side’s comeback shows that the FA Cup is alive and well amid renewed questioning
Teeth gnashing about the death of the FA Cup is nothing new.
Every season there are opinions voiced and column inches filled by people mourning the decline of English football’s most historic cup competition.
Nobody cares about it anymore, the argument goes. Premier League teams aren’t giving it the respect it deserves. Crowds are too small. Priorities lie elsewhere for the vast majority of those involved.
All of those complaints have a kernel of truth about them – indeed Pep Guardiola bemoaned the attendance at the Etihad Stadium for Manchester City’s 4-0 win over Fulham while Liverpool’s Jurgen Klopp reprised his argument about fixture congestion today – but thankfully the weekend also provided a game which reminded us why the FA Cup is still relevant and entertaining.
Fight back
Shrewsbury were 1-0 down against runaway Premier League leaders and Champions League holders Liverpool at half-time. Less than a minute into the second half it was 2-0 to a team reinforced by Adrian, Fabinho, Takumi Minamino and Divock Origi following a freak and dispiriting own-goal.
As Shrews boss Sam Ricketts said afterwards, at that point “most teams would have crumbled”. Not Shrewsbury.
The League One side, who are 59 places below Liverpool in the Football League system, fought back admirably to draw 2-2, earn a fourth-round replay at Anfield and send their fans flooding onto the pitch at full-time.
Yes, it wasn’t Liverpool’s strongest line-up. And yes, Klopp and his players have bigger fish to fry. But to Shrewsbury’s players, their manager, their chairman and their fans those facts miss the point.
“They play two games a week all season but for us the FA Cup is everything,” Ricketts told the Daily Mail before the game. “It’s historic. We all grew up watching it with the hairs on our neck standing up. It provides amazing memories and opportunities.”
Valuable exposure
Jason Cummings’ second-half brace, live to the broad audience that BBC One coverage provides, gave the Shropshire club valuable exposure and, more importantly, allows them the opportunity to buy video analysis equipment for the training ground and better drainage for some of their pitches.
For two-goal hero Cummings and man of the match midfielder Josh Laurent these were moments they will never forget. And it could have been even better, had Adrian not produced some fine saves.
“I am not being big-headed but I am a bit disappointed we did not win,” said Ricketts.
Different priorities
Klopp confirmed after the match that, although Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino came off the bench in the closing stages to try and win the game, none of his senior players will be involved in the replay next month.
After all, Liverpool have a first league title to win since 1990, an unbeaten domestic record to protect and a Champions League title to defend.
The fact that Neil Critchley and his under-23 squad will fulfil the fixture can be looked at as a negative – a sign of modern football gone mad – but their weakened team will also give Shrewsbury a better chance of winning at Anfield and reaching the fifth round.
A competition which is dealing with renewed questioning over its place in the calendar can only benefit from a lower division side going on a run, like Bradford did in the 2014-15 season.
It may be harder to find, but the famous magic of the FA Cup is still present if you cast your cynicism aside and root for the underdog.