Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain Says He Was 'Proud' of Liverpool Youngsters vs. Arsenal

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain has praised the character of the numerous young players who helped Liverpool to their penalty-shootout win in their Carabao Cup fourth-round clash against Arsenal at Anfield on Wednesday.

Jurgen Klopp made 11 changes from the side that beat Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League on Sunday for the Gunners' visit.

An experienced midfield of Oxlade-Chamberlain, Adam Lallana and Naby Keita started alongside Caoimhin Kelleher, 20, Neco Williams, 18, Sepp van den Berg, 17, Harvey Elliott, 16, and Rhian Brewster, 19, while Curtis Jones, 18, came off the bench.

Brewster and Jones both scored in the shootout after the game finished 5-5 in normal time:

Oxlade-Chamberlain, 26, scored one of Liverpool's five goals against his former club, and he was full of praise for the youngsters after the game, per Neil Jones of Goal:

"I am really proud of how the boys turned out. And especially the young lads on their first starts and debuts. [Arsenal] had young players out as well but I think all of those young players are pretty involved in the first team and Europa League and stuff, so they had more experience. It goes to show what quality we have here.

"More than that, it was the character. It wasn’t a plain-sailing game against tough opposition—a big club in Arsenal. A lot of boys could have gone missing or the occasion could have got the better of them but they kept going.

"I saw Pep [Lijnders, the assistant manager] talking in his press conference about the character and what the boys are going to have to do to make that step up, and tonight showed it. It is an education for all of us, even the more senior boys. When you make mistakes in big games like that and big moments at the start of their careers, it is about how you respond to that. They responded really well."

Klopp's use of young players in the Carabao Cup could pay dividends later in the season.

As European champions, they will compete in the 2019 FIFA Club World Cup in December, meaning a heavily congested festive schedule:

Klopp will likely have to rotate his squad to avoid burnout later in the campaign, and he may have to call on some of his younger players.

For now, though, Liverpool's key players will likely all return to the starting XI for Saturday's trip to face Aston Villa in the Premier League.

The Reds then face Genk in the UEFA Champions League before a potentially season-defining meeting with Manchester City in the English top flight on November 10.