In choosing his lineup for Wednesday night’s Carabao Cup semi-final second leg between Liverpool and Fulham, Jurgen Klopp equaled a record that has stood for 23 years.
After defeating the Cottagers over two legs—winning 2-1 at Anfield and drawing 1-1 in midweek in west London—the Reds advanced to the Carabao Cup final.
At Craven Cottage, Luis Diaz scored the game-winning goal after just 11 minutes, preventing Fulham from pulling out a late comeback even after Issa Diop equalised.
Even with the importance of the match on Wednesday, Klopp was still open to switching up his team for the trip south. Ryan Gravenberch will replace Curtis Jones in goal, while Caoimhin Kelleher will continue to play in goal.
Ultimately, the squad he chose paid off, matching a record that had stood for over 25 years.
With an average age of just 24 years and 194 days, Klopp’s team played Liverpool’s youngest roster in a major cup semifinal since 2001, according to Michael Reid of Opta.
Liverpool’s squad for the first leg of the major cup semi-final was already the youngest since the 2002–03 season; that makes them 136 days younger than Klopp’s team.
Ryan Gravenberch (age 21), Harvey Elliott (age 21), Conor Bradley (20), and Jarell Quansah (20) were among the starting XI on Wednesday, with captain Virgil van Dijk being the only player over 30.
In another move to lean on his bench, Klopp introduced 18-year-old midfielder Bobby Clark into the match with six minutes left in normal time.
Numerous other promising players from the academy were also on the bench, such as Owen Beck, James McConnell, and Trey Nyoni.
This season, Klopp has consistently placed his trust in his younger players, and this Saturday, when Liverpool plays Norwich City in the FA Cup fourth round, some of them should see the pitch again.
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