“The result we desperately wanted to avoid,” was the assertion of Jurgen Klopp.
And with just 15 minutes remaining in the tense FA Cup third round clash at Arsenal and the scoreline still goalless, it appeared to some observers the Liverpool boss was intent on ensuring his team swerved the outcome he didn’t want.
Not, in this case, elimination, however. Instead, the last thing Klopp wanted was a replay that would have impacted on the mid-winter break of which he has long been an advocate.
And by bringing on youngsters Conor Bradley and Bobby Clark – who had previously totalled merely 449 minutes between them in competitive senior matches for Liverpool – the Reds manager was to some Arsenal supporters (well, those watching along on Gunners fan channel AFTV) dropping a hint that progress to the next round wasn’t an absolute priority.
That, though, was to overlook the potential of the duo, who both demonstrated why they are highly rated by Klopp and the Liverpool coaching team.
Clark, still only 18, slotted into midfield and showed some game management of which father, former Newcastle United and Fulham midfielder Lee, would have been proud when dumping Declan Rice to the turf and accepting a yellow card to stop a dangerous Arsenal attack deep into additional time.
The 20-year-old Bradley, meanwhile, demonstrated the lessons learned during a successful previous campaign on loan at League One side Bolton Wanderers and the experience of being a full Northern Ireland international when, brought on at right-back, he nullified the threat of dangerous Arsenal winger Gabriel Martinelli and helped ensure there was no sign of a late Gunners comeback once the Reds got their noses in front and ultimately secured a 2-0 triumph.
Indeed, it was a landmark afternoon for the Liverpool Academy as a whole. Half of the 20-strong Reds matchday squad – starters Trent Alexander-Arnold, Jarell Quansah and Curtis Jones along with substitutes Caoimhin Kelleher, Luke Chambers, James McConnell, Kaide Gordon, Trey Nyoni, Bradley and Clark – came through the ranks at Kirkby, while another two players, Joe Gomez and Harvey Elliott, were bought aged 18 and 16 respectively and have spent much of their formative years progressing with Liverpool.
For both Bradley and Clark, there was a sense of making up for lost time. The duo had both featured during pre-season under Klopp – Clark scoring in the 4-0 win over Leicester City in Singapore – but were subsequently sidelined through injury, Bradley out for four months after picking up a back problem in late July, Clark absent for close to three months with a muscle issue.
It meant they were both unable to contribute greatly to the early rounds of the League Cup or the Europa League group stage, matches for which they would have expected to be in contention to feature. Clark missed all eight, although Bradley was back in time for two substitute outings and a full 90-minute display in the European dead rubber at Union Saint-Gilloise last month.
With Liverpool missing a host of players for the foreseeable, there will be further first-team openings for Clark and Bradley, particularly in the FA Cup.
And as Quansah has already demonstrated this season, Academy graduates are being prepared to give themselves the best chance to grasp their opportunity.
