Anchor ul-li blinks/flicker after click on a link problem

I decided to do a li hover effect. Cursor hovers on anchor li, li moves down to simulate a click effect.

Every time after li click I see one blink of anchor li background.

I googled Flash of original Content (or FOOC) add similar issues but can't find the right answer

I uploaded a snippet here https://ift.tt/2F6D8cT

Can anyone advise on how I can stop this from happening?

Thanks for any help or suggestions you may have!

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