Norwich boss David Wagner on facing Liverpool: "If you have the chance, you really have to grab it"
They'll face the Reds on 28th January
Norwich manager David Wagner can look forward to a reunion with close friend Jurgen Klopp following a 3-1 win over Bristol Rovers at the Memorial Stadium that secured a fourth-round tie at Liverpool.
Matt Taylor's League One side threatened an upset when Luke McCormick fired them ahead after 20 minutes but Norwich rallied in the second half with goals from Gabriel Sara, Adam Idah and Kenny McLean seeing them into round four.
"We grew into the game"
Head coach David Wagner shared his reaction to the result: "I think the players have done a very good job.
"I think we needed 15 or 20 minutes to find ourselves in the game. After we conceded from a set-piece, we grew into the game.
"We played some good football, even in the first half. Without a proper end product in the final third, which we addressed. In the second half, the players continued to play on this difficult pitch and created good opportunities and scored wonderful goals.
"It was a very good performance. I think, with the difficult circumstances, we arrived quite late as there was a lot of traffic. It was good, I have seen some very good individual performances, and with Lungi back. That feels like a new player."
He's now looking ahead to the match at Anfield:
"It's exactly the reward which we've known about before the game, and we all wanted that. A few of the guys have never been there on the pitch.
"If you have the chance to play there, you really have to try and grab it. This is what the players have shown today."
The game
Rovers began the third-round replay brightly and former Norwich striker Chris Martin saw an early effort drift just wide before Luke Thomas' header was comfortably saved by George Long.
Norwich, without the injured Josh Sargent, struggled to get going as an attacking force and that allowed the Gas to continue to press with only a superb Long save denying Antony Evans.
It proved to be only temporary respite for Norwich as from the subsequent corner McCormick put the Gas in command with a carefully-placed low drive from just inside the penalty area.
Things went from bad to worse for Wagner's lacklustre side when defender Danny Batth limped off injured.
Norwich were sparked into life by the energetic Sara, who finally gave the travelling supporters something to shout about with a long-range effort that Matt Cox did well to push over.
But back came Rovers and Thomas should have doubled the lead just before half-time as the Norwich defence fell apart but he wasted an inviting opening and side-footed wide of Long's goal from just outside the area.
Rovers continued to enjoy the upper hand after the break and only a fine, low save by Long kept out Thomas' powerfully-struck shot and only desperate defending kept the hosts at bay as they pressed for a potentially decisive second goal.
Norwich got their attacking act together and were level on 53 minutes thanks to the impressive Sara, who bundled the ball home from close range after Sam McCallum's effort struck the post with the Rovers defence at sixes and sevens.
Rovers were soon back on the front but were punished for their ambition when they were caught out on a swift counter-attack by the marauding Canaries.
The hosts were left outnumbered as Norwich poured forward and were punished when Connor Taylor brought down McLean in the box following a collision.
Referee Andy Davies pointed to the spot and while Brentford loanee Cox got a hand to Idah's penalty it was not enough to stop the ball from spinning over the line to give Norwich a 59th-minute lead.
Rovers kept going but Martin was brilliantly denied an equaliser by Long as the League One side's dreams of a first visit to Anfield since 1992 faded.
McLean sealed victory in the 87th minute with a long-range effort to ease Norwich nerves.