Liverpool Academy Star Ovie Ejaria Emerges in EFL Cup Victory over Derby County

Liverpool sealed a comfortable 3-0 victory away to Championship side Derby County on Tuesday night, securing progress to the fourth round of the EFL Cup and leaving manager Jurgen Klopp with plenty of positives to consider on the journey back up the M6.

Notably, this came as the Reds' third win in succession, and their fourth in five games, with Klopp's side reaching a plateau in form that is hugely encouraging at this early stage of the season—particularly given the calibre of opposition, having taken on Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea away from home already.

Further positives came from two debuts in Klopp's starting lineup at the iPro Stadium, with summer signing Loris Karius taking up his place in goal for his Liverpool bow and fellow new arrival Marko Grujic making his first start for the Reds after a previous cameo against Burnley in the Premier League.

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There were also good signs from a trio of players returning from lay-offs, with Divock Origi making only his second start of the season after struggling for fitness and both Emre Can and Danny Ings recovering from injury to feature.

In terms of performance, there were a pair of excellent displays from Klopp's Brazilian attacking duo, Roberto Firmino and Philippe Coutinho, who shone throughout, interchanging as part of Liverpool's forward line.

Coutinho laid on two goals and scored another, providing the corner for Ragnar Klavan's hooked opener before firing past Jonathan Mitchell to make it 2-0, and he then played Origi through to hammer home the Reds' third of the night.

It was another emphatic display from Klopp's blossoming Liverpool side, and one full of promise for the future, but aside from Karius, Can and Coutinho, perhaps the most encouraging development came with less than 15 minutes to play, with academy midfielder Ovie Ejaria introduced for his debut.

Klopp deployed his now-typical 4-3-3 formation in Derbyshire, with Karius taking his position behind a back four of Klavan, Joel Matip, Nathaniel Clyne and Alberto Moreno, while Grujic was joined by the experienced duo of Lucas Leiva and Jordan Henderson in midfield.

Firmino, Coutinho and Origi formed Klopp's three-man forward line, and this is where Ejaria slotted in when replacing the former on 77 minutes; though at his best in a more central playmaking role, the tall, lithe Ejaria's technical quality and tactical intelligence allow him to perform in a variety of attacking duties.

It was far from an impactful performance from the 18-year-old, with the result sealed before his arrival and Liverpool's approach dropping in tempo, but it was a significant one—as a marker of the rapid rise he has enjoyed in the Reds' academy, from under-18s to first team in two years.

This was reinforced on his introduction, with Liverpool under-23s manager Michael Beale and a host of his charges—including Ben Woodburn and Trent Alexander-Arnold, who joined Ejaria on the first team's pre-season tour of the United States this summer—taking to Twitter to praise his progress:

"

Congratulations @oejaria completely deserved!!

— Pedro Chirivella (@pedrochb68) September 20, 2016"

Ejaria is clearly a hugely popular player within Liverpool's youth ranks, and he has made a swift impression both on and off the pitch since arriving from Arsenal in 2014—another testament to his progress as a young player.

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"Ovie has developed so much since he joined the academy," Beale told This is Anfield after Liverpool's win at the iPro Stadium, with the former Chelsea youth coach well placed to comment on the midfielder's growth—having witnessed it firsthand both in London and in Liverpool.

Ejaria began his career with the Blues in 2004, with Beale recalling to the Liverpool Echo's James Pearce at the beginning of September that he would drive him to Sunday league games as a six-year-old, as well as welcoming him to Chelsea's development centre.

But a year later, Ejaria made the move across the Thames to join Arsenal, progressing through the ranks alongside the likes of Ainsley Maitland-Niles and Chris Willock—coincidentally, the latter also made his first-team debut on Tuesday night, in the Gunners' 4-0 EFL Cup victory away to Nottingham Forest.

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The midfielder spent nine years in north London before finding himself surplus to requirements at a crucial stage in his career—and this is where Liverpool intervened, taking Ejaria on trial in the summer of 2014.

Ejaria turned out for the Reds' under-17s at the Aegon Future Cup in the Netherlands, earning a permanent deal after a series of impressive displays; he previously impressed coaches of both Chelsea and Manchester United, according to James Gray of the Daily Express.

Part of Neil Critchley's Liverpool under-18s squad for 2014/15, however, Ejaria endured a muted campaign, as while he was physically superior to the majority of his opponents, there was a consistency lacking in his game—but on stepping up to the under-21s the following season, Ejaria improved significantly.

This is something Beale went on to highlight in conversation with This is Anfield: 

"

He has always been a lovely technical player but now he is much more mature in his decision making and in his application to his defensive duties. 

He is a fantastic boy to work with both for his ability and also his desire to learn and improve. This has enabled him to make huge developments in the last 12 months.

"

While he went on to hail Klopp and his backroom staff for showing "great faith" in youth, that Ejaria was able to make the step up from under-18s football to a first-team debut in two years is remarkable and a credit to Beale and the Liverpool academy.

However, as he now looks to establish himself within the senior setup at Liverpool, Ejaria's relationship with Klopp will prove to be key.

"We didn’t [include them] to give [them] match time," Klopp told reporters after the game, referencing appearances for the likes of Ejaria, Klavan and Ings. "We did it because they were rested and they could go full [intensity] tonight, that was more the reason than saying 'OK, come on, now they can go for it'."

Continuing to show his respect for Liverpool's lower-level opposition, Klopp underlined his ingrained belief in the quality of youth.

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The German has already promoted a number of young players since his arrival as Liverpool manager in October, with Connor Randall, Kevin Stewart, Sheyi Ojo, Cameron Brannagan and Pedro Chirivella among those to appear in Klopp's first team over the past 12 months.

Furthermore, there looks to be more to come, with Alexander-Arnold and Woodburn joining Ejaria in Klopp's squad throughout pre-season, and Adam Phillips, Yan Dhanda, Toni Gomes and Brooks Lennon making progress in the academy.

Ejaria finds himself emerging in a heavily populated area of Klopp's squad, between midfield and attack, with Firmino, Coutinho, Grujic, Henderson, Adam Lallana and Georginio Wijnaldum among his direct competition, but he clearly has the raw quality and attitude to endear himself to Klopp.

This should only be the start, with Beale suggesting that "opportunities will come" for Klopp's youngsters, but the level-headed Ejaria will no doubt be willing to wait.

Jack Lusby will be covering Liverpool throughout 2016/17 as one of Bleacher Report's lead correspondents. Quotes obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.

Follow Jack on Twitter @jacklusby_ and Facebook here.