by Liverpool pride themselves on being a family club, but the idea of a trophy becoming their DNA has never been taken so literally.
Two teenage sons of former Liverpool academy players have kept Jurgen Klopp’s quadruple dream alive and ensured Manchester United are the next hurdle in the FA Cup path.
Jayden Danns father Neil is currently the assistant manager of Tranmere Rovers. Jason, father of Lewis Koumas, played for Tranmere. Add the impressive 19-year-old Bobby Clark, son of former Newcastle midfielder Lee, who claimed an assist in the 3-0 win over Southampton, and this was more like a family tree than a Tree formation Christmas.
Who will make the next Klopp call? Perhaps Zac Jagielka, son of former Everton skipper Phil, who recently joined Liverpool’s academy. And Prince Cisse is also in the youth ranks, son of Champions League winner Djibril.
Like the number of sons of ex-players who attract attention, one wonders whether youth scouts across the country are now turning up on maternity wards with their clip, the next generation of data analysts preparing spreadsheets on the most gene pools productive.
Danns managed to finish the minute after their late two halves were a mirror image, Southampton starting well and frustrated by the excellent Caoimhin Kelleher before Liverpool’s improvement put an end to their youth.
Danns was the first to be offered a trademark hug by Klopp. After receiving praise from all over Anfield, the striker paused before entering the players’ tunnel. The quality of his finish was such that he looked like another homegrown star in the making. He has 23 games out of 24 in all competitions this season, although none of them have been at this level before.
His offense was badly needed as Liverpool chased the goals to kill Southampton’s threat. The first on 73 minutes was a clever slot by Danns on keeper Joe Lumley, his second two minutes sharp and reactionary after Conor Bradley’s effort was pushed away.
Koumas picked his spot earlier after a long passing move to give Liverpool the advantage just before half-time.
That’s something of a double for the Koumas family. Twenty-three years ago, Koumas Snr scored for Tranmere in a famous FA Cup win at Everton, later heading in Gerard Houllier’s treble winners.
With perfect timing, Koumas Jr encouraged DJ Anfield to play The Who’s The Kids Are Okay during the interval. Another classic, Teenagers startas appropriate.
Klopp is delighted to be making history at Anfield during his nine-year reign. They did it again here. No Liverpool team had two 18-year-old goalkeepers in the same game before.
“I can’t imagine how this week feels for the boys. It feels good for me,” said Klopp. “It’s academy week. It’s exceptional.”
Klopp even compared his proteges to another teenage sensation in 2024, Luke Littler. “It’s a bit like the new darts sensation,” Klopp said. “It’s fine tonight, but leave them to improve from tomorrow.”
To be fair, the two goal scorers were always expected to perform in the cup this week. The critical difference was that they were to face Leeds United in the FA Youth Cup at Elland Road on Thursday. Talk of rapid promotion, the goals they took and such humor ensured what was already a proud week for Liverpool’s academy than gold.
Even by the standards of his extraordinary regime, Klopp has to credit the maturity and excellence of his young guns. It looks like the manager is ending his Liverpool career by embarking on football’s most romantic experiment. The working hypothesis is that no matter who wears the red shirt, nothing can be achieved under his command. It makes newcomers believe they are veterans.
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Chelsea played against Liverpool’s crest apart from those who spent it in extra time at Wembley. Southampton had their chances, but ultimately fell into the same trap.
The number of known Liverpool first-team players who are currently unavailable is 12, and the names of academy call-ups require extensive use of search engines. Klopp even deployed Joe Gomez as a deep midfield 6 to spare another 90 minutes. He did not look out of place, Klopp gave him a special tribute.
Southampton coach Russell Martin regretted how his team made the early run and continued to take chances.
“I don’t think 3-0 is a fair representation,” he said. “ We should have been one or two up before they scored. So I’m proud of the players.”
However, this was not exactly a championship team against a Premier League XI.
Over the past four days Klopp’s coaching prowess has grown tremendously. No matter what the personnel, the style, the system and the courage required by the player is the same – the red shirts pushing high, like a Terrier to win possession.
“We have a very close relationship with the academy,” said Klopp, who has not wavered from the Wembley ranks.
“The way Liverpool want to play is clear. It was up to me [in this era], but the club has to agree on that and everyone has bought into it. You need to make sure these exceptional talents understand that a football game starts with defense. The boys have made really big strides. We have developed a lot and they are still growing. It is special. I’ve never had that before where we play with kids and still win football games.”
Is this winning run sustainable without a quick return of the senior cavalry? Probably not, but nothing can be diluted on the achievements of the last few days.
“We haven’t won a trophy since Sunday afternoon,” said a delighted Kop. They don’t believe Klopp and his kids are done collecting trophies yet.
