Curtis Jones was not the only Liverpool player who became a hero from the penalty spot on Wednesday, with Marko Grujic repeating the feat on loan.
The Reds’ No. 48 leapt into the arms of his team-mates after he sent his spot-kick low and to Emiliano Martinez’s right to seal a 5-4 shootout win over Arsenal.
It could be a game-changing moment for the 18-year-old, having come off the bench to help turn the tide for the hosts in a wild League Cup clash that ended as a 5-5 draw in normal time.
Incredibly, a similar situation played out almost 600 miles away in Germany, as Hertha Berlin hosted Dynamo Dresden in their DFB-Pokal second-round tie.
Dynamo went ahead before Hertha pegged them back, adding another to make it 2-1 before the visitors ensured extra time with a 90th-minute strike, then going ahead and looking to cruise to an unlikely victory.
But with Jordan Torunarigha netting in the 122nd minute, the Bundesliga side clinched a penalty decider against their second-tier opponents.
Both sides missed one heading into the fifth round of takers, and after Kevin Ehlers’ effort was stopped by Thomas Kraft—much like Caoimhin Kelleher before him at Anfield—the pressure was on Grujic to find the back of the net.
The kind of moment only the #DFBPokal can produce ? pic.twitter.com/osZfMU8kcA
— The DFB-Pokal (@DFBPokal_EN) October 30, 2019
The Serbian did just that, calmly placing his penalty into the top right-hand corner to seal progress to the last 16, waiting in the area for his team-mates to join him in celebration.
“That was an incredible game. I think we did not just spoil the fans, but in the end, we got through,” Grujic told Hertha’s official website after the win.
It was another brilliant moment for the 23-year-old at his loan club, as he aims to convince Jurgen Klopp of his long-term future with Liverpool.
This show of mentality should boost his chances, and though Klopp’s focus will have been on Anfield and his standout youngsters in midweek, he will no doubt be aware of the goings on in his native Germany.
The challenges keep coming for Grujic, as this Saturday they make the short trip to the Stadion An der Alten Forsterei to take on city rivals Union Berlin—who have reached the Bundesliga for the first time.
“Now we have the next big game in front of us,” the midfielder reflected.
“It will now be the most important thing that we recover well, which is not easy after such an intense game.
“But in the derby the emotion will give us an extra push anyway.”
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