On a night when Liverpool’s next generation hoped to show their readiness for regular action at this level, Aston Villa’s 30-year-old striker Jonathan Kodjia seized his chance to make a similar claim by playing a major part in Conor Hourihane’s opening goal before scoring two himself. That haul, along with an own goal by Morgan Boyes, earned a place in the Carabao Cup semi-final for Villa and taught Liverpool’s youngsters a lesson about the merciless reality of senior football. Wesley rammed the point home by making it 5-0 in stoppage time.
Aston Villa 5-0 Liverpool: Carabao Cup quarter-final – as it happened
Read more

The scoreline made this seem like a caning but Liverpool were not exactly outclassed so much as defused with mature efficiency and some rotten luck. There were moments, particularly when 16-year-old Harvey Elliott went dribbling, when it seemed like the upstart visitors might just cause a shock. Villa’s goalkeeper, Orjan Nyland, had to make some fine saves.