Liverpool thrashed Burton Albion 5-0 at the Pirelli Stadium to move into the third round of the EFL Cup on Tuesday night.
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On Tuesday they travel to Burton from England’s second tier in the League Cup, a competition they have won a record eight times but now enter at an early stage due to their failure to qualify for Europe this season.
Divock Origi, Roberto Firmino and Sturridge all scored as Liverpool, last season’s beaten finalists, crushed Championship side Burton, who are managed by ex-Liverpool midfielder Nigel Clough. All eyes were on Jurgen Klopp’s men to see if they could build on that 4-3 win at Arsenal on the opening weekend, or whether they would suffer the kind of letdown performance that has plagued them in recent years.
‘It was a long leg, then a little bit floppy and then he had pain’.
Goal! Burton Albion 0, Liverpool 1.
Liverpool lacked the same intensity in the second period, but the goals didn’t stop flowing with Luke Naylor and a Daniel Sturridge brace sealing the result and passage into the next round.
The Livpool boss revealed Can was not in much pain, but admitted to concern as it is the very same ankle that kept him out of action towards the latter part of the 2015/16 campaign.
“Hopefully it’s nothing too serious”.
The England global made his first appearance of the season in the 2-0 defeat at Burnley on Saturday after a hip problem kept him out of their opening win against Arsenal.
Fans already had doubts over the reliability of most players in the team and performances such as Saturday’s are the reason for that. We have to try and improve.
Mané’s change of pace is electric and unlike a lot of quick players, he has such a good brain to create for himself and others. “Of course we respect the opponent but it is not the moment to rest someone but we have a few players who are now in a good shape and they have two weeks’ more pre-season, if you like, more to train. It is clear what both sides have to do but they are hard decisions”.
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As for Burton, a non-League club just seven years ago, they can now start preparing for that really big match on Friday.
