Takumi Minamino and Divock Origi fired Liverpool into the quarter-finals of the League Cup with a 2-0 win over Preston but not before the Championship side threatened an upset at Deepdale.
Memories of Sunday’s 5-0 destruction of Manchester United were fresh in the minds of the travelling Liverpool support but there were few traces on the pitch as Jurgen Klopp changed all 11 players and got a radically different display as a result.
When Minamino turned in Neco Williams’ cross in the 62nd minute, it was Liverpool’s first shot on target after Preston had brought a number of saves out of Adrian in the first half.
Origi flicked in a second six minutes from time, but the gap between Klopp’s ruthless stars and their more modest back-ups was obvious as Liverpool only occasionally threatened against a side 19th in the Championship and sporting several changes of their own.
Player ratings from the match can be seen in the picture gallery above. To view the next image, click on the arrows or swipe if on a mobile device.
