Paddy Davitt delivers his Liverpool verdict after Norwich City’s FA Cup exit at Anfield.

1. The Klopp Show

Norwich were willing participants in the first act since Liverpool’s head coach announced his pending departure on the eve of this FA Cup fourth round tie. ‘Pending’ in the sense it is likely to be a long goodbye stretching until the end of a campaign that could bring plenty of silverware to Anfield.

They will take some shifting in this competition. The gulf in resources was underlined when the team news dropped. Liverpool’s side contained Alisson Becker – regarded by many as the best keeper in the world – and a front three of Darwin Nunez, Cody Gakpo and Diogo Jota. With Virgil van Dijk, Andy Roberston and Trent Alexander-Arnold on the bench.

Liverpool's youngsters grabbed their chance, with Conor Bradley and James McConnell heavily involved in the opening two goals. More on that later.

At 3-1 up, Klopp had the luxury of introducing van Dijk and Robertson and £60m man Dominik Szoboszlai. Have a word, Jurgen.

Ben Gibson and Borja Sainz did give the travelling support something to warm them on the long journey home.

Sainz’s second half stunner flew past Alisson, after van Dijk was too slow to close down the Spaniard. But the frustration for David Wagner and his players will be their compliant role in the first four home goals.

Sloppy turnovers, weak headers, lack of concentration, poor decisions when to stay and when to press all contributed to their FA Cup downfall. A long way short of the embarrassment endured by their Suffolk neighbours on Saturday, but the same dead end.

2. Substitute

Given Przemyslaw Placheta’s future appears to be away from Carrow Road, the only loose end left would seem whether he goes in the coming days, or the summer when his contract officially ends.

Yet the Pole was included on a City substitutes’ bench that also contained two keepers in Angus Gunn and Caleb Ansen, and none of the development squad who were on duty in the north-west at Manchester United the previous day.

Understandably, for a club which has made much play of the imperative to develop and hot house young talent, such a matchday selection from Wagner opened him up to scrutiny.

Setting aside the injury and fitness-related omissions for Shane Duffy, Jon Rowe and Josh Sargent.

Whether the likes of Guilherme Montoia or Ken Aboh are ready for the rough and tumble of the Championship is debatable, but surely there was only an upside from exposing them to this type of environment?

Wagner admitted in his post-match media he had weighed up the benefits but opted not to use young players who had maybe featured for the best part of 90 minutes at Old Trafford.

Aboh’s contractual stand-off may well lead to his summer departure. But for left-back Montoia - on the basis the likes of Sam McCallum and Dimi Giannoulis are also entering the final months of current Carrow Road deals - surely it is reasonable to assume the young Portuguese full back is a viable part of what comes next?

Wagner revealed in recent discussions around Placheta’s potential next step, with Ben Knapper, he is wary of losing bodies if there are to be no fresh arrivals. Some might view the make-up of his Anfield bench as a less-than-subtle nudge to those above him in the food chain.

But developing talent for Norwich City, within this current ownership model, is not a choice, it is a football and financial necessity.

What unfolded in terms of recruitment last summer was so far removed from the ethos initially embedded by Stuart Webber in 2017.

Knapper’s arrival, and the soundings at the annual meeting from Mark Attanasio downwards, reinforced it has to be front and centre going forward.  

3. Smoke and mirrors

The weight of speculation around the make up of Norwich City’s squad in this January window is in sharp contrast to the scarcity of business - either already completed or likely to be between now and next midweek’s deadline.

The future of Rowe and the posse of Premier League clubs weighing up whether to test City’s resolve has done most of the heavy lifting. But Jonathan Varane’s status in the Sporting Gijon squad is rivalling Rowe in the past week or so. With a late-night dash of Adam Idah and reported Italian interest thrown in.

All three episodes feel heavily agent-led. Norwich made their position on Rowe abundantly clear at the start of this window, when Wagner himself reiterated the Canaries ‘are in control’ of what happens to Rowe in the here and now. That remains the case.

Unless a Premier League club pick up the phone to Knapper and make a firm offer that, in all probability, would have to top what they received for James Maddison or Ben Godfrey. Otherwise it will be no deal.

Varane is a player they like, in a position they would like to strengthen. He is not the only one they have identified. But the defensive midfielder is also very much viewed as part of Gijon’s La Liga promotion push. Even if at present he has not had the minutes he would want at the sharp end.

But his value to the Spanish club was underlined by a new contract only last summer, and a reported buy out well in excess of what Norwich will pay.

Irrespective of what those around Varane, or the player, may seek unless the two clubs are capable of finding common ground there will be no January trade.

While Idah’s justifiable frustration at a lack of starts may be fuelling late window speculation. Had Hwang Ui-Jo not been returned to sender earlier this month there was a view inside the walls of Carrow Road Idah could benefit from game time elsewhere.

But the idea Norwich would at this stage leave themselves with only Sargent and Ashley Barnes for the defining part of the season is fanciful.

The only cast-iron guarantee you can offer at this stage is the speculation will vastly outweigh the actual change to Wagner’s roster between now and deadline night.

4. Back to basics

Forget transfer business. It is Championship business that matters from here. Starting with a home match-up against a Coventry City next weekend who are in the same shake-up for the top six after missing out at the final hurdle in last season’s Wembley play-off final.

Watford follow swiftly after that, and given that Elland Road defeat last time out in the league, it is imperative that Wagner and his players step forward again. Much as they did against West Brom when it felt like a crossroads occasion had been reached at Carrow Road.

A day trip to Merseyside was also going to be a brief distraction from the real measure of whether Wagner can improve on last season’s below-par mid-table ranking.

Fail to produce against the Sky Blues or the Hornets, and the top six ‘tilt’ is likely to be over before it ever effectively got started.