Liverpool reached the FA Cup quarter-final after edging out Norwich City.
A well-worked move put the hosts ahead on 27 minutes when Divock Origi teed a Kostas Tsimikas’ cross in Takumi Minamino’s path for a tidy finish.
Minamino doubled his and the Reds’ tally shortly before half-time by bringing down a Tsimikas corner before firing a half-volley into the roof of the net.
But the Canaries gave Jurgen Klopp’s side a late scare through Lukas Rupp reducing the deficit just 12 minutes from time with a well-drilled strike.
Here were the key talking points from Anfield:
Minamino’s cup habit strikes again
A lesser-known fact about Takumi Minamino is that he once held the Guinness World Record for the most high-fives in the space of a minute.
That accolade may have long been surpassed but the Japan international is still receiving the favourable gesture through his impressive scoring streak.
Regularly forcing his way into a front line currently contested by Mo Salah, Sadio Mane, Roberto Firmino, Diogo Jota and Luis Diaz remains a uphill battle.
Minamino, however, has maintained a level of importance for Klopp’s well-stocked charges by preserving his heroics for non-Premier League outings.
Across the FA and Carabao Cups, he has plundered seven goals this season with his latest brace assuring a safe passage into the last-eight of the former.
The 27-year-old not only gave Liverpool a commanding first-half lead but was also a hive of activity throughout when Jota and Divock Origi were struggling.
Modern football is very much a squad game and Minamino’s willingness to step into the spotlight while his peers rest up is proving a useful addition.
Reds stride towards second Wembley date
Just three days since Wembley’s iconic arch was bathed in a red glow, Liverpool have set out their stall to descend on the national stadium again.
Chants of ‘Tell me Ma….’ punctuated a bracing night against Norwich City as a potential 90 minutes stands between the Reds and another day in the capital.
The ditty evoked memories of the terrace anthem that heralded their 2001 cup treble, with two-thirds of that clinched at Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium.
London may now be the destination, yet that has done little to diminish the appetite of Jurgen Klopp’s side to build on their recent Carabao Cup success.
Many of the players who put the Canaries to the sword before half-time had missed out on starring roles in last weekend’s shootout victory over Chelsea.
Not that they showed it in a highly competent display that will have Kopites dreaming of booking another trip to the location they call ‘Anfield South’.
Should Thursday’s quarter-final draw hand them another favourable tie, that forward planning will swing into action for many fervent Liverpool supporters.
Milner still the man for all occasions
At 36, James Milner continues to successfully turn his hand to every position.
With Trent Alexander-Arnold stood down and Neco Williams out on loan, Klopp deployed his elder statesman in the right-back position against Norwich.
Milner’s last outing in the role, during October’s draw at home to Manchester City, suggested that his powers of versatility may have been on the wane.
On that occasion, the midfielder found himself tormented by the Premier League champions’ axis of Joao Cancelo, Phil Foden and Bernardo Silva.
He fared far better in this latest experiment as Norwich’s absence of pacy wingers afforded Milner the freedom to take the game firmly in his stride.
Although the body may not be as sharp as it once was, the veteran’s football brain shows no signs of slowing down judging by lightning-quick anticipation.
In either half, he successfully snuffed out potential danger; notably when a Norwich cross was floated into The Kop’s penalty during the opening stages.
Little wonder, then, that Klopp is actively seeking to extend Milner’s contract beyond its expiry this summer while he remains a man for all occasions.