Wednesday 21 September 2016 09:59, UK
How did Liverpool's Loris Karius fare on his debut? We analyse his performance and see whether he has done enough to put pressure on Simon Mignolet.
It was a near-perfect night for Jurgen Klopp as his Liverpool team eased past Derby County 3-0 in the EFL Cup fourth round but he perhaps would have liked to see Karius' skills tested to a greater extent at the iPro Stadium.
Klopp added Karius to his squad this summer from Mainz in a deal worth £4.7m and wants to see his German compatriot challenge Simon Mignolet for the No 1 jersey.
However, Karius suffered a broken hand during pre-season, which restricted him from making his debut until Tuesday night.
Karius will point to his clean sheet as a job well done, but we've decided to dig a little deeper.
We've analysed his performance over the 90 minutes and asked Sky Sports pundit Alan McInally on whether Karius has done enough to put pressure on Mignolet for Liverpool's match with Hull City on Saturday.
Derby only had four shots on Karius' goal and just two of them called the German into action.
14 mins: A deep cross from the left flank found Bradley Johnson free at the back-post but his header from 15 yards was straight at Karius, who held the ball comfortably like any top-level goalkeeper should.
43 mins: Marcus Olsson charged down the left and crossed for Darren Bent to rise at the back post, but again his header lacked power and was an easy take for Karius.
In a game of this nature where a team is in complete control, the goalkeeper of the dominating team needs to stay switched on. Karius excelled in this department on his debut, performing the sweeper-keeper duties to a high standard.
45 mins: This was on full show just before half-time when Johnson played a clever ball in behind the Liverpool back-four. Bent beat the offside trap and actually got to the ball on the edge of the area before Karius, but the goalkeeper read the situation brilliantly to make a clean sliding tackle to block the ball away with his legs.
Derby won three corners in the match and Karius was keen to come and attack the ball on each occasion. This was the area of his game where he looked most vulnerable and Derby nearly profited from it in the second half.
65 mins: A corner from the left was swung into Karius' six-yard box and he came through a pack of players to punch the ball clear, when perhaps he could've caught the ball.
73 mins: Will Hughes whipped an in-swinging corner from the right flank, which Karius came to deal with. Once again he chose to punch the ball but swiped at fresh air. Richard Keogh should have really found the net from close range but the ball ricocheted off him and looped over the crossbar.
Klopp would've been happy with how Karius played - but in fairness he would've been happy with his entire team.
There was one dodgy moment in the second half when he came to punch and he didn't get it and Keogh was unlucky not to make him pay for that.
From pass-backs and with his feet he seemed alright but the bottom line was he wasn't put under any pressure. I don't think Karius has done enough to start in front of Mignolet.
How did you rate Karius' debut? Can he challenge Mignolet as Liverpool's first choice goalkeeper? Get in touch at @SkyFootball or comment below.
