Reds dismantle sorry Derby to reach fourth round of EFL Cup

Be it the Milk Cup, the Coca-Cola Cup or the Carling Cup, it’s a tournament the Merseysiders have won a record eight times and the evidence of the early rounds of this newly rebranded EFL Cup is the Reds mean business this year once more.

Beaten on penalties by Manchester City in last season’s final, Jurgen Klopp’s team dismissed Derby County at the iPro Stadium last night in the same authoritative fashion they had overwhelmed Burton Albion 5-0 ten miles down the road in the previous round.

They got only three goals this time – from Ragnar Klavan, Philippe Coutinho and Divock Origi – but their performance underlined manager Jürgen Klopp’s wish for a team with no European distractions to take this competition seriously. As their fourth victory in five games, it also underlined that Liverpool appear to have found an impressive winning groove already.

Klopp’s starting line-up showed seven changes from the side that won at Chelsea last Friday, the German giving a first start in midfield to the Serbian Marko Grujic and a debut to goalkeeper Loris Karius.

The £4.7m signing from Mainz had been unavailable until now owing to a broken hand, and this proved a gentle introduction given the way Liverpool dominated from start to finish. Such was their dominance in fact that Klopp ended the evening with another debutant on the field in 18-year-old midfielder Ovie Ejaria.

It was an altogether different evening for the goalkeeper at the other end of the pitch, 21-year-old Jonathan Mitchell, who was in the firing line on his home debut. Mitchell was playing because of an illness to Scott Carson, once of Anfield, and he kept his goal intact for just 24 minutes before centre-back Klavan’s close-range opening goal.

Nigel Pearson will not enjoy reviewing his team’s defending for the Estonian’s first Liverpool goal. Philippe Coutinho’s corner sailed over two Derby heads at the near post, Richard Keogh sliced at the ball as it dropped, and Klavan’s shot found the net with the help of a deflection off Cyrus Christie.

Up to that point, Liverpool had been shadow-boxing; now they began to land some blows. Origi pulled away from his marker and tested Mitchell at his near post. Mitchell then turned over a Coutinho free-kick.

If the subdued home supporters held faint hopes of their side making more of a game of it in the second period they vanished within five minutes of the restart. Coutinho picked the ball up 45 yards from goal and, via a lovely a one-two with Firmino, stepped into the Derby box where he took one touch and rolled a precise finish past Mitchell.

Coutinho then turned provider for the third goal, teeing up Origi to bury a shot high into the net at the near post. Red waves kept rolling to the Derby goal and it took an excellent Mitchell save to stop Firmino volleying a fourth goal after more good work by Coutinho.

For Derby manager Nigel Pearson, this was a defeat quite in sync with his difficult start at Derby, who have recorded just one win and two goals in their opening eight Championship matches.

His five changes for this match included a recall for Darren Bent, a man who, in the red and white of Sunderland, once scored a goal against Liverpool with the help of a beach ball. Bent received precious little assistance here and when he did get a sniff of a chance, surging on to Bradley Johnson’s through-ball moments before the break, he was foiled by smart footwork from Karius, who – Manuel Neuer-style – showed brilliant anticipation to race out of his box and slide-tackle the Derby man.

Karius’s only uncomfortable moment came late in the second half when he came for a corner and missed it but even then the Derby men at the back post were unable to capitalise.

Source: Independent

This story has been reproduced from today's media. It does not necessarily represent the position of Liverpool Football Club.