Paddy Davitt delivered his Liverpool verdict after Norwich City's 2-1 FA Cup defeat.

1. Now it begins

Dean Smith’s FA Cup starting line up certainly underlined he was not paying lip service to trying to win this cup game. If anything, with Brentford on the horizon, no doubt a few Norwich fans felt he had gone too strong.

But with both Max Aarons and Brandon Williams staying in Norfolk with knocks, and then Smith making a triple change just past the hour mark at Anfield, there was still a strand or two to his planning that surely had the Bees’ Premier League visit in mind.

At the interval, and with Liverpool seemingly in cruise control, Smith may well have been wondering what was to come - including the negative impact in terms of confidence and self-belief for the weekend and a crucial quest for three league points to revive their Premier League prospects.

In truth, the tie was meandering to an inevitable conclusion until Lukas Rupp lashed Josh Sargent’s pass beyond Alisson. Then you could detect a murmur or two of concern among the home fans. Perhaps that applied to Jurgen Klopp, who introduced the not inconsiderable attacking thrust of Sadio Mane and Luis Diaz from the bench in a bid to avoid another bout of extra-time time or penalties.

Norwich were unable to find a second but in the manner they competed and contested they should garner some renewed confidence for an upcoming league game that will be tense and taut and maybe defining.

2. Operation Anfield exercise

You could be forgiven for thinking the Liverpool stadium announcer was having a pop when he boomed out instructions to the home stewards to prepare for a safety drill.

Norwich failed to heed the warning. Two cheap concessions in the space of 12 first half minutes effectively settled this tie, despite the Canaries’ second half riposte.

Ben Gibson and Christoph Zimmermann were attracted to Diogo Jota from Kostas Tsimikas’ initial cross, that allowed the unmarked Divock Origi to move the ball around the corner for the first of Takumi Minamino’s strikes.

His second was a quality finish, but in the conception and execution there was more than a passing resemblance to Oriol Romeu’s thumping half-volley that secured Southampton’s late Premier League win.

A deep corner, with a mass of yellow shirts attracted under the ball, and an opponent left unmarked to finish. As good as this Liverpool collective is, irrespective of the personnel Klopp opted to deploy, it was too easy again. Too soft, too porous.

City need to rediscover that meaner streak they had under Smith during the recent Premier League upturn, for the key moments ahead. They have leaked too easily since Manchester City onwards. However good the opponents.

3. Who passed the audition?

Beyond the potential for cup progress, Smith will have wanted a nudge from the shadow men. Tim Krul hardly comes into that category but nonetheless after his injury layoff, and the form of Angus Gunn in his absence, he will have wanted to remind his head coach of his quality and experience for the crucial games down the stretch.

Perhaps it was goalscorer Rupp who advanced his claims in an area of Smith’s line up that you would hardly state functioned smoothly at Southampton last time out in the Premier League.

There is an assurance and a composure to the German, and he did not look out of kilter against the class of the home side. Zimmermann, Sam Byram and Dimi Giannoulis had rare chances to impress in the Norwich backline but with Grant Hanley, barring any unforeseen issues with an ankle problem Smith flagged pre-match, set to return for Brentford, and Williams and Aarons favourites of the head coach, it would be a surprise if he did not revert to his recent backline. But Rupp and Krul will hope for a call.

4. Devotion

It is said so often it has arguably long since become something of a footballing cliche when discussing the lengths Norwich fans go to in support of their football club. But given the relative geographical isolation that marks out nearly every away game in the Premier League as an act of hope rather than expectation those 1,100 or so hardy souls at Anfield took that to a different level.

Given the distance, given the kick-off time, given the game was broadcast on terrestrial television and given the odds of their boys pulling off a cup upset it was some turnout from the green and yellow. Smith acknowledged that level of backing, both in the build up, and immediately upon taking his position in the technical area before kick off. The Norwich head coach strode purposefully down the touchline to applaud the travellers before turning to perform the obligatory handshake with Klopp.

They at least could celebrate Rupp’s swinging late finish. Aarons alluded to the same after last Friday’s defeat at Southampton. This season, like so many in modern times in the Premier League, those fans have been short changed.

Yet they still turn up, they still believe and if Norwich are to pull off what would be the greatest of great escapes they will have a major part to play down the stretch. It may be a cliche but it should never, ever be taken for granted.

5. A case of the Blues

Smith and his players know they cannot rely on favours or slip ups from elsewhere in the club's Premier League bid to beat the drop. But they have been handed the rawest of raw deals from the powerbrokers with Chelsea’s FA Cup win at Luton Town confirming the Blues’ Carrow Road visit will now be shoehorned between this weekend’s Brentford clash and the equally pivotal trip to Leeds the following weekend.

In other words, Smith has been denied both a full week to prepare for the Whites, followed by a full week to try and engage Chelsea. Worse, they then must endure a three-week pause before they resume their survival effort at Brighton, given there is an upcoming international period to navigate.

No wonder City felt so aggrieved they released a pre-emptive statement expressing their dissatisfaction prior to confirmation of the fixture change, with that comeback win for the Blues at Kenilworth Road.

Much was made of the skewered nature of those Covid-related call offs around the festive period and the lop-sided impact on the league standings. But with Norwich’s trip to Leicester still to be re-arranged there surely had to be a better solution when you consider just how high the stakes are.

Norwich know whenever they land in the Premier League they are not operating on a level playing field. But the gradient feels even rougher now after a decision that only makes this task harder.