When Sam Ricketts arrived at the ground, the Shrewsbury manager was aware of Fulham's 4-0 beating at Manchester City and before kick-off he was told Tranmere had been thrashed on their own ground by Manchester United.
'I thought: 'There have been no upsets in the FA Cup, we had best try something',' he said. They did more than try. Shrewsbury nearly pulled off something astonishing.
For Ricketts, whose father, Derek, was a show-jumping world champion and whose uncle, Johnny Francome, was champion jockey, this was his Puissance at Olympia, his Becher's Brook.
Had Shaun Whalley taken one of his two glittering chances; had Donald Love not suffered the wanton cruelty of scoring into his own net, this game would have wrapped itself deep into the FA Cup's history.
'This is a dream come true,' said Jason Cummings, who scored twice to overturn Liverpool's two-goal lead.
Right at the death there was a header at the back post that would have given Shrewsbury's players and supporters the victory of their lives. His reward was a shirt belonging to Mo Salah, one of the players Jurgen Klopp threw on as embarrassment loomed.
Cummings had not started a game for Shrewsbury since Mansfield were beaten in a very different FA Cup tie in November. For those who wonder what the competition can still do, this was it. In the BBC commentary box, Ian Wright had tipped Cummings, who won the Scottish Cup with Hibernian, to come on and score.
'Ian Wright knows his stuff,' he said. I called every week when he was on I'm a Celebrity to get him into the final. We are playing the best team in the world and I know it wasn't their first team but we don't mind. We are going to Anfield.