It was the last minute of stoppage time in the Carabao Cup quarterfinals at Villa Park and Aston Villa were 4 goals up against a Liverpool side non-recognizable to anyone except the most ardent supporters.
One final attack and Wesley Moraes made it 5-0. The demolition was complete. Heads dropped and shoulders stooped but not one Liverpool player had stopped trying until the very end.
Liverpool fielded the youngest team in the club’s history, having an average age of 19 years and 182 days. The captain for the game was 22-year-old Pedro Chirivella, who led out a team of five debutants and six teenagers.
Liverpool outscored their opponents in possession and shots on goal but were outdone by a lack of experience and rotten luck.
The Reds started off brightly and went close twice before Villa scored their first. A lack of experience and composure showed as Villa notched up 3 more goals to go in 4-0 up at the break.
To their credit, the young Reds didn’t collapse and kept the score respectable in the second half, even going close to scoring on occasions, forcing Villa keeper Orjan Nyland into a few spectacular saves.
This may be Liverpool’s heaviest defeat in the League Cup but it could be remembered as the making of some of the future stars.
Harvey Elliott, 16, was a man among boys as he belied his age to lead the Liverpool attack. Any meaningful attack involved Elliott as he once again reminded everyone as to why he is so highly rated.
Not only did Elliott create the most chances (5) but also had an 88% pass completion rate and 2 shots. He may have missed out on the trip to Qatar and Jurgen Klopp must take note of his performance.
In spite of the result, Liverpool fans took to Twitter to show their appreciation for the young Reds.
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