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The average age of Liverpool’s starting eleven against Midtjylland was just 24 years and 26 days on Wednesday. It was his youngest line-up in the Champions League.
With the top spot in the group and the knockout rankings secured, boss Jurgen Klopp had the luxury of resting some of his regulars and giving some rising stars a chance.
The 1-1 draw turned out to be a good experience for the players involved and here we assess how some of the newer faces fared …
Caoimhin Kelleher
Liverpool’s 22-year-old goalkeeper Kelleher had entered this one with a clean sheet in a row against Ajax and Wolves. This time there was no shutout, but there were some encouraging moments.
Fabinho’s clearance from the goal line was crucial in the 32nd minute and Kelleher saved well at his near post just before the break for Midtjylland to gain confidence. That was their only stop in the first 45 minutes, but the hosts pressed after the break.
It was Kelleher who gave up the penalty, colliding with Anders Dreyer after he broke the goal. The young goalkeeper had few options, indeed, and escaped with only one caution under the double-hazard rule, but could not avoid Alexander Scholz’s impressive shot.
Kelleher held his ground despite the backhand, firmly pushing Erik Sviatchenko’s header away, before striking with authority to ease the tension as Midtjylland searched for a late winner.
Rhys williams
Rhys Williams before Liverpool’s Champions League clash with Midtjylland
Williams has become Klopp’s central defender in the Champions League, this was his sixth appearance in the competition, but the young defender proved on Wednesday that the importance of having an experienced figure by his side cannot be underestimated.
The 19-year-old came in after 30 minutes against this rival in late October when Fabinho was injured, but played alongside him on Wednesday night during the first half, when the pair held Midtjylland at bay.
However, Klopp replaced Fabinho with rookie Billy Koumetio at half-time and there was a distinct sense of nervousness in the heart of Liverpool’s backline, with the two center-backs playing opposite young keeper Kelleher.
While Williams won the physical battle with Sory Kaba in the first half, the hosts’ forward was more cheerful after the break, and it was Williams who finally played Dreyer sideways in the lead-up to the Midtjylland penalty.
But Williams withstood the challenge well, topping the punts, aerial duels and tackles charts (together) and helped Liverpool pass the test with one point.
Leighton clarkson
Leighton Clarkson made his Champions League debut
Leighton Clarkson took his bow with Liverpool almost exactly a year ago at the Carabao Cup, but his Champions League debut took it to a higher level and the 19-year-old from Blackburn will have learned a lot from the occasion.
Clarkson sat deeper in middle three for much of the game, but that didn’t stop him from joining the attacks and a good pass to Takumi Minamino gave Jota a good opportunity in the first half. He was also positionally conscious enough to fall into the slot on the right back when Trent Alexander-Arnold had moved on, from where he threw a perfect one-inch ball forward into the box for Jota.
The 2018/19 FA Youth Cup winner showed his youthful enthusiasm in the second half with his pressure and harassment from the opposition (regained possession more times than any Liverpool player), but was caught on penalty after passing to the left back when Konstantinos Tsimikas left the field injured.
Clarkson allowed his man, Dreyer, to slip past him and into goal, where Kelleher fouled him, revealing the young midfielder’s inexperience in that position. However, other than that, this was a promising step.
Billy koumetio
Billy ‘The Kid’, as Klopp calls him, is highly rated in Liverpool. The adolescent center-back was training with the first team in preseason and would have made his senior debut earlier if it had not been for some inopportune injuries.
At half-time, the Lyon-born defender stepped into action in Fabinho’s place, becoming Liverpool’s youngest ever player in the Champions League at the age of 18 and 25 days.
Like Williams beside him, Koumetio is tall, but a misguided header four minutes into the second half allowed Midtjyjlland to hit the crossbar. Soon after, Kaba beat the ball to open the head when Midtjylland took aim at the newcomer.
There were more nervous moments, including an offside pass back to Kelleher that led to a corner, but Koumetio showed glimpses of his talent, making an excellent block on Kaba in preparation for Scholz’s offside shot.
Sunday December 13 4:15 pm
Start 4:30 pm
Klopp verdict on Clarkson, debuts in Koumetio’s Champions League
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp:
“They will do it [learn from the experience] and especially if we let them have the experience without making this game too big. It’s wonderful, wonderful to have your first Champions League game, but a race is about how many you will have or how many games overall you will play.
“So both guys have a lot to learn. They are already very skilled but they have a lot to learn and we will give them time to do so. Again, tonight they helped us a lot because we were able to rest other players, which was very important and not really. there was an alternative.
“So yeah, I’m pretty sure it was a great night for both of them and I’m really thankful they’re already as good as they are. That’s why we can use them, but I know there’s a lot more to come.”
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