With the entire first-team rested, as many as seven of the 10 starting outfield players against the League One side were teenagers, including 16-year-old Harvey Elliott.
A similar Liverpool side had been thrashed 5-0 by Aston Villa in the Carabao Cup quarter-final before Christmas when the senior stars were at the FIFA Club World Cup, but this time a second-half own-goal from former Manchester United defender Ro-Shaun Williams gave the Reds the win.
Klopp decided against any first-team involvement in the game, feeling that the Premier League winter break was more important to rest his players. Yet the gamble has now paid off and the Reds now have a fifth-round tie away against Chelsea next month.
“The boss was in touch this afternoon with some words of advice and encouragement, which was really nice of him,” Critchley said after the game, via the club’s official website.
“We had a little message – I’ve not checked my phone yet – but we had a message from the staff at the end there and he is absolutely delighted with the performance. He is buzzing.”
Liverpool's youngest ever captain, Curtis Jones, leading out his side in the #FACup #LIVSHR pic.twitter.com/weLui5ljPM
— 90min (@90min_Football) February 4, 2020
But while Klopp and the first-team players were off elsewhere resting, veteran midfielder James Milner, who has been recovering from injury and so has been at the training ground this week instead of on holiday, played a significant role in the build-up to the game and on the night.
“He trained with us [on Monday] and asked whether he could come along,” Critchley explained.
Milner also respectfully checked whether it was okay for him to go in the dressing room, to which the stand-in boss replied, “What do you think? Of course!
“He has achieved so much in the game because of who he is; he was giving words of advice to the players, he was getting right behind the players, he was vocal in the dressing room and he was animated behind me – I could hear him! He was genuinely delighted with how the boys performed and I can’t thank him enough for being here tonight.”
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Source : 90min