Liverpool's Youth Squad Salvage an FA Draw

While anyone could have excused Liverpool's youth infused lineup in any cup competition, it was frightening to see the extent the injury bug has actually forced Jurgen Klopp's hand.  Christian Benteke was the only first squad player included in the starting XI.  Despite this, the young team seemed to gel as the opening stages of the game went on.  Unfortunately, some youthful mistakes cost the Reds.

Tom Nicoll finished off a great goal for Exeter after some breckdown on the left side of Liverpool's defense led to a cross.  The Reds equalized only three minutes later when Jerome Sinclair found the back of the net on what would have been called a penalty if he had not scored.  Liverpool had some back and forth after the quick burst of scoring.

As will happen with youth, they looked good at times and quite suspect at others.  Joao Carlos Teixeira almost scored for Liverpool in the 17th minute.  He made a good move but the ball got caught up between his feet and then his shot was blocked.   Soon after, Exeter almost took the lead for a second time in the 30th minute when Noble put a chance over the bar and made a case for a penalty.  Christian Ribero should have scored for the home side in the 41st minute as he failed to score on a header after he exposed the left side of the defense again.  Unfortunately for the Reds, the cracks were too much to keep together for the full 45.

Lee Holmes gave Exeter the lead they may not have expected but probably deserved.  Adam Bogdan received a bit of a bump that could have been called a foul, but the Liverpool goalkeeper should have done better.  The ball sailed past his hand and into the upper corner on the near side as Bogdan looked around for the whistle that would never come.

Liverpool tried their best in the second half.  Benteke was denied in the 51st minute after his powerful header was smartly saved by the Exeter goalkeeper.  While the game wasn't the easiest on the eyes, it was good to see this young squad not giving up.  They got their own just desserts in the 74th minute.  A low cross from the recently inserted Ojo was cleared away from the six yard area but right to Brad Smith who banged it home for the 2-2 scoreline, which would be the final.

Teixeira could have scored in the 81st minute.  He would have had a better chance if he one timed it but he elected to take a touch, which allowed the keeper to come out and cut off the angle.  Alas, the result was exactly what nobody wanted.  Exeter fans will feel it was an opportunity missed against an extremely weakened Liverpool squad.  Liverpool will be happy with essentially their youth squad getting a result, but now another fixture is added to an already crowded schedule.

You'd like to see more from Benteke against a lesser opponent.  Cases could be made to insert Adam Lallana in an effort to finish off the game to avoid the replay.  However, the thing to take away from this contest is actually that Klopp has proven he can change.  Klopp's biggest problem, if it can be said to be a problem, is that he wants to win everything.  He hasn't prioritized any competition over the other.  Whether it was his hand being forced or an actual decision he made, Klopp wisely changed his lineup.  Whether he keeps the strategy going forward is up to him, but it's a good sign.

Random Thoughts:
- I have no problem with him as a person, but if Liverpool are forced to use Enrique at centerback in the league then they are in serious trouble.  Lucas may be a better choice.

- The field was absolutely terrible.  I actually don't fault the groundskeeper.  I'm sure they have a limited budget to make repairs, if any.  However, from a viewer aspect it was terrible and had to have made for a  bad match.  I've seen better fields back when I played CYC.

- Strikers are a precious commodity and Liverpool have none in the cupboard.  While Benteke could work extremely well with Daniel Sturridge, the latter's injury problems could force the big Belgian's departure from the team.  Today's game also showed that the Reds don't have any true strikers coming through the pipeline either.