Liverpool come from behind twice to snatch draw at Exeter

Exeter City 2 Liverpool 2

In the end Exeter City may well reflect that everything turned out rather well for them, even if this will be remembered as a night when a golden chance to eliminate Liverpool from the FA Cup and register one of the most famous victories in their history slipped through their fingers.

Brad Smith, a 21-year-old Australian who was making only his fifth appearance for Liverpool, equalised 17 minutes from time to spare Jurgen Klopp the embarrassment of an upset that had looked to be on the cards from the moment the teams were announced.

Missing 13 players through injury, Klopp fielded a hugely inexperienced team and by the end of the evening the Liverpool manager had given five players their debuts for the club. Christian Benteke, one of the few recognised names in Liverpool's lineup, played the full 90 minutes and it must have been a chastening experience for him.

Exeter sensed blood from the outset, took the lead through Tom Nichols and when Lee Holmes scored direct from a corner on the stroke of half-time, to restore their advantage after Jerome Sinclair had equalised in the 12th minute, the stage was set for one of those memorable FA Cup stories.

Although Smith ruined the script with his close-range strike, Exeter will now enjoy the significant six-figure windfall that comes with a trip to Anfield for a replay that was just about the last thing Klopp needed in the circumstances. Exeter, who are 76 places below Liverpool on the league ladder, will relish their second chance.

This was classic FA Cup third round territory. Indeed it was tempting to wonder what was going through Klopp’s mind when he was led up the stairs in the 110-year-old Stagecoach stand to conduct a pre-match interview in the cramped club kitchen, where Tracy and Sue, who make the tea, kindly stepped aside to give the Liverpool manager a bit of room. Klopp, it turns out, was a little disappointed he was unable to find a mug with his name on.

Working out who was who in the visitors' dressing room presented the Liverpool manager with a challenge of a different sort. Tiago Ilori, Ryan Kent and Kevin Stewart were each given their Liverpool debuts in a callow team that showed 11 changes from the side that won at Stoke City in the Capital One Cup semi-final on Tuesday. In fact take Benteke and Jose Enrique out of the starting XI and the other nine players had only 18 Liverpool appearances between them.

In that context Klopp could have been forgiven for fearing the worst when Exeter took the lead after nine minutes following a raid down Liverpool’s left flank. Jamie Reid was the creator, the forward showing a mixture of pace and strength to get away from Enrique, who was making his first appearance in 12 months, before delivering a low inch-perfect cross that eluded Connor Randall and was expertly steered beyond Bogdan from 12 yards by Nichols.

Unfortunately for Exeter their celebrations proved brief. Within three minutes Liverpool were level following some calamitous defending. Kent, who started brightly, looked to pass into the feet of Benteke in the area and as the ball broke two Exeter players, Troy Brown and Jordan Tillson, seemed to get in one another's way, and the ball fell kindly for Sinclair, who finished clinically from about 10 yards.

Liverpool started to ask a few questions of Exeter, yet the home team looked threatening whenever they attacked, in particular in the wide areas. David Noble showed some nice touches in midfield, Nichols was full of running up front and Holmes roamed from one side of the pitch to the other.

Liverpool were living dangerously when Noble swept a shot over from inside the area following a fine centre from Christian Ribeiro, the Exeter right-back. Ribeiro had a good chance to score himself later in the half after a neat build-up on the Exeter left that culminated in Holmes delivering a deep cross. Ribeiro timed his run well but with Bogdan rooted to the spot the Welshman headed narrowly wide of the far upright.

That was a reprieve for Liverpool but they were not so fortunate four minutes later when Exeter regained the lead direct from a corner kick with a goal that will give Bogdan nightmares. Holmes struck the kick with pace and precision from the Exeter right and his inswinging delivery arrowed over the head of Bogdan, who ended up hanging onto the crossbar, and into the far corner.

Up until that point Benteke had been peripheral but the Belgian came to life early in the second half with a powerful header from Cameron Brannagan’s cross that Bobby Olejnik, the Exeter keeper, brilliantly turned over the bar. Moments earlier Exeter felt they should have had a penalty when Ribeiro went to ground under a challenge from Kevin Stewart but Stuart Attwell, the referee, called it right when he deemed that the full-back had slipped.

On a pitch that never looked good at the start and was getting heavier and heavier, Liverpool were unable to build up any momentum or play with any rhythm. Exeter were enjoying themselves and at one point in the second half the supporters started to cheer every pass after a little game of keep-ball in front of the dugouts. It was difficult to see where a Liverpool equaliser was going to come from, yet Smith drilled home after Jordan Moore Taylor blocked Sheyi Ojo’s effort on the line.

(Guardian service)