A Liverpool side peppered with youngsters beat arch rivals Everton 1-0 at Anfield on Sunday to reach the fourth round of the FA Cup. Homegrown midfielder Curtis Jones won the tie in memorable fashion with a superb curling effort that cannoned home off the underside of the crossbar midway through the second half.
Positives
Jurgen Klopp will be delighted with the performances of several of his youngsters in this one, and a win against local rivals with a far-from-full-strength XI will provide even more ammunition for gloating Reds fans in the office on Monday.
Negatives
It comes with the territory when fielding a young team, but there was an occasional moment of naivety in possession. Fans and neutrals will certainly forgive them for that, though, as this inexperienced side proceeded to deliver an entertaining display.
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Manager rating out of 10
7 -- It takes a great deal of bravery to field so many youngsters against your fiercest rivals, but Klopp's courage was met with an excellent Reds display that was full of energy and heart.
Player ratings (1-10; 10 = best, players introduced after 70 minutes get no rating)
GK Adrian, 7 -- Denied Everton with three good first-half saves, but was barely tested in the second period as the Toffees came unstuck.
DF Neco Williams, 7 -- The young Welshman very much looks like he's from the Trent Alexander-Arnold mould at right-back. The 18-year-old was extremely tidy with the ball at his feet, and wasn't afraid to get forward and cause problems.
DF Joe Gomez, 7 -- Quickly became the senior head in the Reds' defence after James Milner succumbed to injury early on, and the former Charlton man took on the responsibility well and guided his back four through the game.
DF Nathaniel Phillips, 6 -- Looked to impose himself physically against Dominic Calvert-Lewin early on, but was guilty of a couple of indecisive moments, including a poor defensive header that gifted Everton possession and a half-chance.
DF James Milner, N/R -- The Reds skipper was forced off inside the opening 10 minutes after pulling up with an injury as he looked to keep pace with Theo Walcott.
MF Adam Lallana, 6 -- As one of the most senior players in the Liverpool lineup, you probably would've liked to see the England international take the game by the scruff of the neck a bit more, with the 31-year-old drifting in and out of the match.
MF Pedro Chirivella, 7 -- Another of Liverpool's impressive youngsters. The Spaniard was a calm head in midfield, and kept the ball moving in excellent fashion. Looked like he'd been playing in the first team for years.
MF Harvey Elliott, 7 -- The winger always looks like he has a moment of quality in him, and he provided it with a great reverse ball for Divock Origi on the way to a rare Reds chance in the first half.
MF Takumi Minamino, 6 -- The January signing from FC Salzburg was lively and knitted play together nicely early on, but should've done better when making faint contact with a left-wing cross in the first half. Faded a touch in the second half, before being replaced by Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain at the 70-minute mark.
MF Curtis Jones, 8 -- A couple of heavy touches in the opening quarter of an hour, but the 19-year-old grew into the game and looked a real presence in midfield, and supplied a moment of genius with a glorious curling effort into the top corner of Jordan Pickford's net to put his side ahead.
FW Divock Origi, 6 -- Forced an excellent save from Pickford in the closing stages of the first half and was always on the move and bringing his teammates into the game.
Substitutes
DF Yasser Larouci, 7 -- An impressive showing from the full-back, who got forward well and didn't look in any danger defensively.
MF Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, 6 -- Only sight of goal was a shot straight at Pickford in the final 10 minutes.
FW Rhian Brewster, N/R -- Unable to get into the game in his brief cameo.