Liverpool 0 Plymouth 0: Watch highlights as Jurgen Klopp made to pay for fielding a team of kids by being forced into FA Cup replay

JURGEN KLOPP’S gamble on playing a team of kids backfired as Liverpool were forced into an FA Cup replay at Plymouth.

The Anfield boss fielded the youngest side ever put out in a first team fixture by the club in an effort to take the workload off his senior players.

But they now face the distraction of a long midweek trek down to the south-west after the youngsters failed to do the business against the League Two club.

Klopp threw on star players Daniel Sturridge, Adam Lallana and Roberto Firmino in a desperate bid to avoid the replay but the Pilgrims held out for a money-spinning return match.

FACTS, STATS, GOALS AND LOLS

• Liverpool named their youngest ever starting XI, averaging 21 years and 296 days.
• Jurgen Klopp insists he respects the Cup – yet made TEN changes from last week.

• Ben Woodburn is expected to have a big future at Liverpool – and he was only denied his first FA Cup goal by a sharp block from Luke McCormick on 16 minutes.
• Plymouth were aiming to make it lucky seven. Six lower league teams have knocked Liverpool out of the Cup already this millennium.
• Kevin Stewart has scored against Argyle already in his career – he netted for Burton Albion in a 1-1 draw in April 2015.
• Liverpool may have been fielding a team of kids, but if Plymouth thought they could rough them up they were mistaken early on – the Reds spent much of the first half camped in the opposition half.

• Highly rated Kop rookie Joe Gomez was playing his first game since October 2015, when smashing cruciate ligament on England Under 21 duty
• Loris Karius is desperate for a good display to force his way back as first choice but Plymouth were so poor in the opening half the keeper didn’t touch the ball once.
• Plymouth finally mustered a shot at goal five minutes into the second half through Jordan Slew – but the ball finished closer to the corner flag than the goal.

• Lucas Leiva was next to try his luck for Liverpool but he was denied a rare goal by a smart stop from McCormick.
• Daniel Sturridge was sent on by Klopp in an attempt to stop Liverpool being forced into a replay – the striker twice won the Cup when he was a Chelsea player.
• Plymouth defender Gary Miller was carried off on a stretcher with what looked a serious injury as his dream day turned into a nightmare.

What they said

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp said: “I made the decisions and the changes I did, it is for others to criticise.

“We needed to be patient and to do things differently. We will try again in the replay, if we win, great, if we don’t then we didn’t deserve it.”

Plymouth boss Derek Adams said: “It would have been really naive from a manager’s point of view to tell my players to go out there and play up against Liverpool.

“Overall we are delighted to take them back to Plymouth.”