Derby County vs. Liverpool: Score, Reaction from 2016 EFL Cup 3rd-Round Match

Liverpool booked their place in the fourth round of the 2016-17 EFL Cup on Tuesday evening after goals from Ragnar Klavan, Philippe Coutinho and Divock Origi saw them earn a 3-0 win over Derby County.

The Reds took a 1-0 lead in at the break following Klavan's first-half volley, but a smash-and-grab double early in the second period left their hosts dazed and confused.

Coutinho, Jordan Henderson, Joel Matip and Nathaniel Clyne were the only players retained by Reds manager Jurgen Klopp from Friday's 2-1 win over Chelsea, with a much-changed lineup at the iPro Stadium.

Merseysiders will surely whisper it, but Tuesday's result continued a positive start to the season for Liverpool, evidenced by OptaJoe:

Liverpool took an early grip on possession in their away journey, and the difference in class between the Premier League team and their Championship hosts soon appeared to set in.

Henderson took on the role of chief puppeteer in the Reds midfield, while Marko Grujic took some delight in hounding the Rams engine room whenever out of possession.

Richard Heathcote/Getty Images

Chances were few and far between for Derby over the first 20 minutes, while it seemed only a matter of time until the Merseysiders would find their breakthrough.

And find it they did in the 24th minute, when centre-back Klavan made the most of his time spent up for Coutinho's corner, and Bleacher Report's Jack Lusby noted the boosting impact his first goal for the club could yield:

Roberto Firmino was back in the Reds XI after sitting out Friday's win over Chelsea through injury, and the Brazilian looked capable of sparking his side forward whenever he got into space.

It wasn't all comfortable for the visitors before the break, however, and Goal's Melissa Reddy praised goalkeeper Loris Karius after he spared Henderson's blushes following a foiled pass around halfway:

Derby manager Nigel Pearson threw on Tom Ince in place of Chris Baird, but the attacking manoeuvre proved costly as Liverpool's tactics produced two goals in 10 minutes after the restart.

Having set up the first with a set piece, it soon came Coutinho's turn to score following a darting run through the middle before slotting into the bottom left, with Liverpool writer Paul Tomkins noting the South American connection at work:

"

That was utterly obscene between Firmino and Coutinho. Should be illegal. 2-0.

— Paul Tomkins (@paul_tomkins) September 20, 2016"

Play appeared to gravitate almost exclusively around Klopp's playmaker, and again Coutinho was the architect as Origi made his impact in the 55th minute.

Just five minutes after netting his own, Coutinho's through ball set the Belgium striker loose to the right of Derby's goal, and Russian journalist Artur Petrosyan was left in awe by his finish into the top right:

With the Reds cruising, Klopp chose to preserve Henderson and throw on Emre Can as his replacement, while Danny Ings and first-team debutant Ovie Ejaria were brought off the bench for some valuable minutes.

As impressed as Klopp might have been with his side's goalscoring ability, their confidence on the ball and reluctance to panic in search of a fourth strike will also surely have pleased the Reds chief.

Richard Heathcote/Getty Images

Liverpool return to the Premier League calendar on Saturday and will play host to Hull City hoping this win can provide a jump in momentum across all campaigns.

Derby County, meanwhile, will attempt to distance themselves from the Championship's bottom places when they welcome 23rd-placed Blackburn Rovers to the iPro Stadium on Saturday.

Post-Match Reaction

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Klopp was clearly oozing excitement in the minutes immediately after his side's demolition, and people could hardly blame him after one of Liverpool's most decisive performances of the season to date.

The Reds manager had special praise picked out for left-back Alberto Moreno, returning to the XI in place of James Milner after a torrid period in his Anfield career, via Empire of the Kop:

Contrary to what some claim, Liverpool are treating this contest seriously, too, as ESPN FC's Glenn Price provided quotes from Klopp, who's looking to go one better than last season's runner-up finish:

The German tactician also had high praise for summer arrival Grujic, whom he described as a "wonderful player" with "such great technique."