Daniel Sturridge
Daniel Sturridge celebrates scoring Liverpool's fourth goal in its EFL Cup win over Burton Albion. Getty Images

Liverpool cruised through to the third round of the English Football League Cup thanks to a 4-0 win over Championship side Burton Albion at Pirelli Stadium. In an opening half dominated by the Premier League outfit, Liverpool took a decisive advantage through two goals in eight minutes from Divock Origi and Roberto Firmino. The win was then put beyond doubt in the second half first thanks to an own goal from Burton defender Tom Naylor and then a late double from substitute Daniel Sturridge.

Liverpool were forced into early duty in the newly branded EFL Cup after missing out on Europe this season. But Jurgen Klopp, who guided the team to the final in his first season in charge, signaled his determination to take the competition seriously by making just four changes from the side that lost 2-0 at Burnley in the Premier League on Saturday.

It was certainly a big occasion for Burton, which has made a rapid rise through the divisions to reach the second tier of English football for the first time in it history this season and was now welcoming the record eight-time League Cup winners to its 7,000-capacity stadium. It was a big night, too, for Burton manager Nigel Clough, who spent three years as a player at Liverpool in the mid-1990s.

But from early on it was clear that there was a huge gulf in class between the two teams. Liverpool had two good chances to take the lead in the first 11 minutes alone. And it took two smart saves from Burton goalkeeper Stephen Bywater to keep out first a left-foot shot from Origi and then a Firmino header after a fine move and cross from Adam Lallana.

But Liverpool would have to wait only until the 15th minute to go in front. While he didn’t get on the score sheet, Sadio Mane was involved in almost everything positive Liverpool did from an attacking standpoint. And it was his burst of acceleration to get to the byline followed by a low ball across goal that allowed Origi to neatly back heel the ball into the net. For Origi, it was a nice way to mark his first start of the season as he looks to lock down a regular place.

It did not take long for Liverpool to double its lead. Again the danger came from the right, this time from full-back Nathaniel Clyne who delivered a cross for Firmino to head home his first goal of the season. The lead might have been even greater at the interval had Mane been awarded a penalty after his heel was clipped from behind by Burton defender Kyle McFadzean.

Still, Burton’s defending in the second half proved charitable enough to allow Liverpool to make the victory an emphatic one. In the 61st minute, Emre Can’s flick on from a James Milner corner was heading wide until it struck the body of Naylor and beat his own goalkeeper.

By that point Burton was a beaten team. That was evidenced when, with 12 minutes remaining, a poor pass out of the back was followed by Burton defenders standing and watching as Sturridge reacted sharpest at the back post to tap home a low cross from Milner. Sturridge then doubled his tally five minutes later, applying a clinical finish into the bottom corner of the net following another Milner assist.

<blockquote class="twitter-video" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">GOOOOAAALLL!!<br>A brace for Sturridge, and what a nice goal at that. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/FootballLeagueCup?src=hash">#FootballLeagueCup</a> <a href="https://t.co/B6EdcNOQca">https://t.co/B6EdcNOQca</a></p>&mdash; beIN SPORTS USA (@beINSPORTSUSA) <a href="https://twitter.com/beINSPORTSUSA/status/768185338753724416">August 23, 2016</a></blockquote>
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