So how did the young Reds fare?

AN INTENSE run of 10 games in 37 days has left Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool squad decimated by injury and with some of his senior players in desperate need of a rest.

So the German identified this FA Cup third-round tie at Exeter as a chance to give some of his young, up-and-coming players the chance to impress.

Only three of the starting XI — Jose Enrique, Christian Benteke and Adam Bogdan — had made more than four senior appearances for the club.

Three players — Tiago Ilori, Ryan Kent and Kevin Stewart — were making their debuts. Sportsmail assesses how each player fared and gives them a hit or miss rating on their performance.

TIAGO ILORI

THE young Portuguese centre half made an inauspicious start when exposed positionally for Tom Nichols’ opener, stretching too late to cut out Jamie Reid’s cross. At 6ft 3in, Ilori undoubtedly has command in the air and he was effective in clearing high crosses, but he seemed to struggle with other aspects and, when he should have been showing leadership as one of the older ones at 22, he seemed to be overwhelmed at times. This was highlighted when he needlessly dragged down Tom Nichols on the edge of the box after the Exeter man tried to turn him.

CAMERON BRANNAGAN

THE England Under 20 international was praised by Klopp as having ‘everything a midfielder should have’. The full array of attributes was not on display here but he did the basics well enough, getting stuck into challenges, shielding the defence and playing sensible, short passes. Although he rarely strode forward, a foray on the half-hour led to his team winning a corner. You sense the 19year-old will have learned a fair bit from a tough, physical night like this and must use the experience to sharpen certain aspects of his game.

KEVIN STEWART

CHARGED with playing the box-to-box role alongside Cameron Brannagan, rather than in his more customary wide berth, Stewart’s work-rate could not be faulted. Again, the 22-year-old kept it to short and simple passes, recycling the ball and trying to keep Liverpool advancing. Work is probably needed on defensive aspects, however, with some loose clearances 10 yards in front of his own box that could have been punished. And when he fouled Christian Ribeiro in the second half, there were cries for a penalty right around the ground.

RYAN KENT

TOOK a while to get into the contest but was more than willing to chase down lost causes, sprinting at Exeter goalkeeper Bobby Olejnik in an effort to force an error on the uneven surface. His own keeper Adam Bogdan was not so lucky, with a bobbly back pass forcing a hasty, skewed clearance. The winger displayed a few stepovers in the first half after cutting inside though his decision to shoot from range probably highlighted a bit of impatience.

BRAD SMITH

THE Australian left back was the most eye-catching early on, showing no hesitation in surging forward down the flank. But this attacking instinct meant he came a cropper defensively on a few occasions. The opening goal came from his side of the pitch and he totally failed to detect Christian Ribeiro sneaking in behind him for a free header. Perhaps Smith, 21, can convert to a more attacking player though as his reactions to make it 2-2 were razor sharp.

JEROME SINCLAIR

WILL be delighted to score his first goal for Liverpool and the 19-year-old certainly demonstrated a poacher’s instinct to capitalise on some hesitant Exeter defending to slide a low finish past Bobby Olejnik for the equaliser. Was left sniffing around for scraps after that, seeing not very much of the ball. Still, his instinct for scoring goals had already been proven.

JOAO TEIXEIRA

ONE of the more experienced on display following loan spells in the Championship with Brentford and Brighton. The Portuguese, 22, is a bag of tricks when given the opportunity and is not afraid to run at defenders. This was evident early on when he feinted inside from the left and fired wide. Showed his game is well-rounded by also dropping back into midfield to link up the play.

CONNOR RANDALL

LIKE Brad Smith, he was not afraid to push forward and this led to a couple of cross-cum-shot chances — one that whistled not too far away, another that was skewed horribly. But the 20-year-old’s attacking instinct did leave some gaps in behind which would have been fine with more experienced defensive team-mates but did on occasion leave space for Exeter to get to the byline and cross.