Liverpool Youngsters Crash out of Carabao Cup with 5-0 Loss to Aston Villa

Aston Villa booked their spot in the semi-finals of the Carabao Cup on Tuesday, courtesy of a 5-0 win over a young and inexperienced Liverpool side.

Conor Hourihane opened the scoring for the hosts, and an own-goal from Morgan Boyes deflated the visitors inside of 20 minutes. Jonathan Kodjia added two more goals before the half-time break. Wesley completed the one-sided affair in injury time of the second half.

Villa played mostly backups, while Liverpool handed five academy players their first-team debuts in a cup tie that was seen as far less important than the other competitions. Most of the Reds' top players, as well as manager Jurgen Klopp, have traveled to Doha, Qatar for the Club World Cup.

Here's a look at the starting lineups for both teams, featuring just a single player―Henri Lansbury― who started in the Premier League during the weekend:

Liverpool, in particular, had little experience on the pitch or their bench, with nearly all of the stars travelling for the Club World Cup. The squad numbers perhaps best illustrated this:

The Reds' age showed early and often in the first half. While Harvey Elliott and Isaac Christie-Davies showed their talent, putting together a few half-chances, Villa were far more effective in front of goal and punished every single mistake.

Hourihane was the first to find the net, firing a free-kick into the box that was missed by everyone, including goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher:

Just three minutes later, Villa doubled their lead, with Boyes deflecting a cross past his own goalkeeper. Sportswriter Neil Jones thought it was cruel on the young Reds:

Ki-Jana Hoever went close for Liverpool, firing a shot narrowly wide, and Christie-Davies drew a fine save from Orjan Nyland after more good work from Elliott. The 16-year-old was a standout in the first half, showing why he's such a highly rated talent.

The Villans didn't create a ton of chances, but whenever they worked the ball into dangerous areas, they made the most of it. Kodjia made it 3-0 after 37 minutes, beating Kelleher in a one-on-one situation, and he added a fourth goal shortly before the half-time break after good work from Ahmed El Mohamady.

At half-time, sportswriter Sid Lowe wondered why the Reds were even playing in the first place:

Liverpool took control of the ball after the break, and Boyes had the first good chance of the half, testing Nyland. El Mohamady went close on the other end of the pitch, taking a clearance from Kelleher and putting the ball just wide of the post.

Kelleher flashed his tremendous talent with a phenomenal save on Kodija, and despite the flag going up for offside, it was a nice confidence booster for the young stopper. He denied Trezeguet minutes later, again showing off his potential.

Elliott and Herbie Kane worked a nice attack that ended with Nyland making a save on the latter, and Kelleher followed suit when Trezeguet used his speed to get away from his marker.

Hoever left the pitch late with a knock, bringing an early end to his strong outing, and things ended on an even sourer note for the Reds in injury time. After several good chances for the visitors, it was Wesley who added yet another goal for the hosts, completing the demolition job.

What's Next?

Liverpool's A squad will face Monterrey in the Club World Cup semifinals on Wednesday. Villa's next match is on Saturday, against Southampton in the Premier League.