The competition gave Klopp his first victory as Reds manager with a 1-0 home win over Bournemouth back in October 2015 and, four months later, provided his first final appearance in the Anfield hotseat.
It has also given the Liverpool boss a platform on which he can assess claims of fringe players, give welcome minutes to those who require game time and, perhaps most importantly, consider the progress of the latest raft of Academy graduates. Indeed, when Alexis Mac Allister emerged from the bench at the Vitality Stadium on Wednesday, he became the 96th different player Klopp has used in 28 League Cup ties
