Liverpool vs. Exeter City: Winners and Losers from FA Cup
Liverpool moved into the fourth round of the FA Cup with a comfortable 3-0 home win over Exeter City on Wednesday night in a third-round replay.
Manager Jurgen Klopp selected a young side for Exeter's visit, but the kids had few problems seeing off the League Two side. Joe Allen opened the scoring in the 10th minute, with Sheyi Ojo and Joao Carlos Teixeira finding the net in the second half.
Liverpool will host West Ham United in the fourth round on Jan. 30.
Here, Bleacher Report selects winners and losers from the match.
Winner: Sheyi Ojo
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On his Liverpool debut, which coincidentally came against Exeter in the original third-round tie, Sheyi Ojo made a decisive contribution as a second-half substitute, helping the Reds secure a 2-2 draw and force a replay.
On his second appearance, he killed off the tie with Liverpool's second goal of the night, a classy strike in the 74th minute.
After accepting a pass from Jordon Ibe on the right, Ojo took advantage of the space being conceded by his defender and curled a perfect shot into the top corner past a helpless Bobby Olejnik.
The goal left observers excited about the 18-year-old's potential.
"Ojo made the difference in [his] first game at Exeter and he's killed off this tie tonight. That's a quality finish from a very exciting youngster," tweeted James Pearce of the Liverpool Echo.
"He's got that 'something' that top players have," added This Is Anfield contributor Chris Williams. "Raw, raw talent."
On this evidence, Ojo is a player to keep an eye on.
Loser: Christian Benteke
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In fairness, Christian Benteke did assist on Liverpool's third and final goal of the night, which was scored by Joao Carlos Teixeira. He also contributed to the opener, passing to Brad Smith, who set up Joe Allen.
On the balance of play, however, Benteke was poor.
Time and again, the big Belgian positioned himself incorrectly in the opposition's area. And even with Liverpool playing to his strengths with plenty of crosses, Benteke missed multiple chances. With the final kick of the game, he summed up his night with a weak effort in Exeter's box following a four-on-two counter.
After being benched for Liverpool's recent games against Arsenal and Manchester United in the Premier League, this was another chance for Benteke to impress manager Jurgen Klopp.
Even accounting for the two positive contributions, he failed.
Winner: Brad Smith
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Australian left-back Brad Smith provided a useful attacking outlet for Liverpool in the original tie at Exeter 12 days ago, scoring the second equalizer in a 2-2 draw. Reprising his role in the replay at Anfield, Smith posed a consistent threat once again, assisting on the opener and moving forward dangerously all night.
In the 10th minute, Smith latched onto a pass from Christian Benteke on the left, drove to the line and cut the ball back to an unmarked Joe Allen, who side-footed into the net.
As simply as that, the Australian underlined his value to the team going forward.
Admittedly, the opposition was only a League Two side. In the Premier League, Smith would face much tougher challenges, but another strong performance should keep him in Jurgen Klopp's thoughts.
Loser: Adam Bogdan
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Adam Bogdan endured a calamitous night in goal for Liverpool in the original tie, so it was hardly a surprise that Jurgen Klopp opted for Simon Mignolet in the replay.
But that doesn't make Klopp's decision any easier for Bogdan to take. With so many fixtures piling up, Klopp surely had to be tempted to give Mignolet the night off. However, it's clear that for all of Mignolet's faults, Klopp trusts him far more than Bogdan.
Will we see the Hungarian again this season?
Winner: Jon Flanagan
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In most games, Jon Flanagan's introduction as a 51st-minute substitute would have been unremarkable. But Flanagan had not appeared in a match for Liverpool since the final day of the 2013-14 season, so this was a moment for celebration.
Anfield erupted with applause as Flanagan replaced Connor Randall, ending a spell of 20 months on the sidelines.
With his injury issues hopefully behind him, the 23-year-old Flanagan will now focus on establishing himself in the first team.
