Football
ESPN staff 7y

Liverpool name youngest-ever starting XI for Plymouth Argyle FA Cup tie

Liverpool named the youngest starting lineup in their history for the goalless FA Cup third-round tie against Plymouth Argyle on Sunday.

The team named by Jurgen Klopp for the Anfield clash has an average age of 21 years and 296 days, beating the previous record of 22 years and 303 days from a league game against Wolves in 1965.

Klopp made 10 changes to his side, with Emre Can the only player to keep his place following the 2-2 draw with Sunderland earlier this week.

The manager defended his decision after witnessing his side put in a lacklustre performance.

"I don't think the line-up was a mistake,'' he said. "I am responsible if you want to see it in a bad way. I always choose line-ups to win the game.

"We didn't think about the age. They are important players in our squad.''

Liverpool's youngest-ever scorer Ben Woodburn made his full debut for the club, starting in attack alongside Divock Origi and Sheyi Ojo, who made his first start of the campaign after suffering a small stress fracture in his back during preseason.

The England youth international has made 11 first-team appearances for Liverpool in total and has been building up match fitness with the under-23s in recent months.

Joe Gomez, meanwhile, made his first appearance for Liverpool since October 2015 following a long-term injury.

Loris Karius, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Lucas Leiva, Alberto Moreno, Kevin Stewart and Ovie Ejaria also played.

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