MK Dons 0-2 Liverpool: Five talking points

James Milner and Ki-Jana Hoever scored either side of the break to secure victory for a much-changed Reds team and set up a clash with Arsenal in the next phase of the competition.

Here are five talking points from Stadium MK...

A glimpse of the future

Forward Harvey Elliott became the youngest player ever to start a competitive match for Liverpool as manager Jürgen Klopp handed debuts to five youngsters over the course of the 90 minutes.

Elliott, aged 16 years and 174 days, made his bow along with goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher (20) and striker Rhian Brewster (19) in the starting XI as the manager made 11 changes to the side that beat Chelsea 2-1 in the Premier League at the weekend.

With defender Hoever (17) and midfielder Curtis Jones (18) also starting the match and debutants Herbie Kane (20) and Sepp van den Berg (17) coming off the bench late on, the evening gave fans a tantalising glimpse of the emerging talent within the Reds' ranks.

Elliott made an immediate impact, hitting the bar early on and creating more chances in the first 30 minutes than any other player on the pitch, while Jones twice tested the goalkeeper during an assured performance and Kelleher looked calm and controlled between the posts, sweeping up at the back and making a great late save to keep a clean sheet.

Magic Milner

Despite all the young talent on show, it was the oldest Liverpool player on the pitch that put the Reds in front, and it was a goal eerily predicted by scorer Milner.

The day before the third-round match in Milton Keynes the 33-year-old had tweeted this...

The goal pictured above came back in 2007 as England U21s beat Bulgaria 2-0 at Stadium MK.

Wednesday night's strike came just before the break when his speculative long-range effort was spilled into the net by MK Dons goalkeeper Stuart Moore.

That goal, the 450th netted by Liverpool under Klopp, means Milner has scored at least one goal in every season since he made his professional debut in 2002-03.

Young gun fires

Having got his name on the scoresheet (as predicted) Milner then turned provider, delivering the cross for Hoever to head in his first goal for the club and put Liverpool in control after 69 minutes at Stadium MK.

In doing so, the defender, aged 17 years and 250 days, became the fourth-youngest Reds scorer in history after Ben Woodburn, Michael Owen and Jordan Rossiter, and the third-youngest ever for the club in the League Cup.

Playing at right-back, the Dutchman also acquitted himself well when it came to his defensive duties - making two tackles, winning possession on three occasions and completing 88.7 per cent of his passes.

Naby Keita watch

Along with the young Reds, it was also a big night for Guinea midfielder Naby Keita, who made his first start for Liverpool since the Champions League semi-final at Barcelona on May 1 following injury.

Before the match, assistant manager Pepijn Lijnders said the 24-year-old has the ability to bring an added dynamic to the Reds midfield and he was a key figure on the left of the central three as he got just over an hour of playing time in his legs.

During his 63 minutes on the pitch, he rarely gave the ball away, completing 92.5 per cent of his passes to help Liverpool enjoy 78.3 per cent possession over the course of the match and he also showed glimpses of his more attacking side with two shots on target.

There will be more to come from the No.8 as he regains full match fitness, but this was a positive first step.

Lallana's new role

Having played most of his career as an attacking midfielder, Adam Lallana was switched to the anchor role during Liverpool's pre-season games and the No.20 was given another outing in the position against MK Dons.

LFC average positions against MK Dons

"[It's about] doing things he is naturally good at: small spaces, passing the ball, and then from time to time offering the runs in behind as well," Klopp had previously explained.

Playing behind Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Keita as the deepest of the Reds' midfield three he enjoyed plenty of the ball and provided the foundation for Liverpool's attacks.

Lallana quietly went about making 111 passes (only Milner had more with 122), 64 of which came in the opposition's half. He also led the team with 95.5 per cent pass completion and 11 possession regains.