Rafa Benitez was already Liverpool manager by the time Kaide Gordon was born. He only entered this world during the 2004-05 season when they went on to win the Champions League but has already become the second youngest goalscorer in Liverpool’s history.
If Gordon is sufficiently precocious to make many another feel old, his maiden strike had an importance. Liverpool were trailing at Anfield to Shrewsbury Town, the third-tier team 50 places below them on the league ladder. On a weekend of FA Cup shocks, this could have been the greatest. Instead, he ensured Shrewsbury’s lead was a brief affair and Fabinho’s first Liverpool double and Roberto Firmino’s backheel booked Liverpool’s makeshift team a place in the last 32.
Not without a scare, however. “So many things could have went the wrong way,” Jurgen Klopp said. His Shrewsbury counterpart, Steve Cotterill, said: “We had them worried for about five minutes; maybe six or seven.”
If there are those who seem destined for the top from an early age, like Gordon, there is an alternative career path. Daniel Udoh’s story can contain the essence of the FA Cup. He has played for 10 non-league clubs. A serial loanee’s old employers include Hoddesdon and Halesowen, Grays Athletic and North Greenford.
Udoh had been a fitness doubt. Shrewsbury had an added reason to be grateful he was fit when he emerged unmarked to score his 10th goal of the season, evading Ibrahima Konate to meet Nathanael Ogbeta’s cross with a first-time finish. “A great goal,” added Cotterill.
A giant figure in attack, he gave Konate and Virgil can Dijk more anxious moments than many a costlier striker. Van Dijk went into the Shrewsbury dressing room at full-time, giving them his shirt and his congratulations. “Not only he is a top player, he is a gentleman,” said Cotterill.
Briefly, Shrewsbury had celebrated a second goal before the offside Ryan Bowman’s header was disallowed. Bowman also had a chance to equalise on the stroke of half-time. By then, however, the tide had turned.
At 17 years and 96 days, Gordon took Michael Owen’s mantle as their second youngest scorer, though Ben Woodburn retains his record. His strike was taken with precocious assurance; found by Conor Bradley in the box, he had the composure to take a touch before dispatching his shot.
“That’s Kaide,” said Klopp. “When he is in these situations he is really calm. His finishing is exceptional.” A direct dribbler had almost struck earlier on just his second appearance for the club, with Marko Marosi clawing away his low shot.
Liverpool were ahead after an impromptu display of goalkeeping from their centre-back and captain Ethan Ebanks-Landell, handling above his head as he sought to stop Van Dijk. Fabinho converted the resulting penalty. He scored at the end of the second half, too, thumping the ball in from close range. “I don’t think it was a 4-1 game, I think it was a 2-1,” rued Cotterill.
Firmino had taken the match beyond Shrewsbury with a goal of trademark impudence, reacting to a mishit shot by Konate by backheeling the ball in. Both he and Takumi Minamino had made their comebacks. Joel Matip and Alisson were back on the bench, along with Klopp, who had also emerged from self-isolation.
The absentee list was still considerable. Liverpool were without not just Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane and Naby Keita, who are at the Africa Cup of Nations, but Trent Alexander-Arnold, Diogo Jota, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Jordan Henderson, James Milner and Joe Gomez. In part, it came from confusion. “We had a lot of false positive but with the rules, all these players who are false positives couldn’t play,” Klopp said.
A mix-and-match outfit was the fourth-youngest team in Liverpool’s history, with an average age of just 22 years and 187 days. And their youngest member got the crucial goal as a difficult week, when their training ground was closed after a Covid outbreak, had a happy ending for Liverpool.
