Liverpool go into their FA Cup third round tie against Accrington Stanley hungry for a goal. But to avoid overconfidence, it would be wise to look back to the last time we faced a fourth-tier opponent in this competition.
Liverpool, who drew with Manchester United and lost to Tottenham, will see the FA Cup draw as a good opportunity to bounce back into form ahead of a tricky away fixture at Nottingham Forest.
It is unlikely that all of Liverpool’s key players will feature, but Arne Slot’s side should have enough quality to win comfortably.
But they only need to look back to the last time Liverpool played a League Two side in the FA Cup to see if they have gone too far into the game.
The last Fourth Division side to face the Reds in this competition was Plymouth Argyle in 2017. They drew 0-0 at Anfield, before Liverpool won the rematch 1-0 at Home Park thanks to a rare Lucas Leiva goal.
Scoring is not the problem
Liverpool has scored the same number of goals in the opening 29 games (70 goals) of this season as at the same stage last season, but has conceded three fewer goals this season.
They have kept just one clean sheet in their last seven games, and Wednesday’s loss to Tottenham was only the second time this season they have failed to score in a game.
Liverpool have averaged a winning percentage of 56% since January 1, compared to a previous winning percentage of 90% in the slot, but their goal percentage has actually increased over the festive season.
Before December 1, they averaged 2.3 goals per game, but since then the Reds have scored 2.7 goals per game. However, the number of goals conceded per game increased from 0.6 to 1.4.
Liverpool vs lower league matches
It is only the second time since 2017 that Liverpool have faced opposition from outside the Premier League at this stage. Another time was when they beat Shrewsbury 4-1 in 2022.
The last team from outside the top two divisions to beat the Reds in the FA Cup was Oldham, who won 3-2 at Boundary Park in 2013.
As previously mentioned, the last team to face Manchester United in the fourth tier was Plymouth in 2017. Liverpool are unbeaten in their last eight FA Cup games at Anfield since West Brom won there in 2018.
In the last 13 seasons, the Reds have lost at this first hurdle just once, in 2019 when they lost to Wolves at Molineux.
They have not lost at home since 2007, when they lost 3-1 to Arsenal in the third round.
A little about Accrington Stanley
The town’s original club was a founding member of the Football League in 1888. They were also original members of the Third Division North from 1921 to 1958 before withdrawing from the Football League in 1962.
The current club was born in 1968 following the collapse of the former Accrington Stanley, which at one stage saw them become champions of the Cheshire County League Division 2, the Lancashire Combination, the Northern Premier League Division 1 and the Northern Premier League. And from the Conference they returned to the Football League in 2006.
They became fourth division champions and spent five seasons in Ligue 1 before being relegated in 2023.
If Accrington win at Anfield, they will advance to the fourth round for the eighth time in their history. The last time was in 2023, when they lost 3-1 at home to Leeds, one of nine top-flight sides they have faced in the competition without a win yet.
scorer this season
Liverpool: Salah 21, Diaz 12, Gakpo 12, Jota 6, Nunes 4, Jones 3, Mac Allister 3, Szoboszlai 3, Konate 2,
Van Dijk 2, Alexander-Arnold 1, Elliott 1
Accrington Stanley: Walton 6, Whalley 6, Costelloe 5, J. Woods 5, B. Woods 4, Aljofree 2, Knowles 2, Mooney 2, Awe 1, Henderson 1, Hunter 1, Khumbeni 1, Love 1, Popoola 1, Rawson 1, possession. goal 1
* Statistics provided by LFC statistician Ged Rea (@ged0407).
