Liverpool and Tottenham reach FA Cup fourth round after coming through tricky replays

Liverpool overcame fourth-tier Exeter City 3-0 on Wednesday to set up an FA Cup fourth-round clash with West Ham United, while Tottenham Hotspur eliminated familiar foes Leicester City.

Liverpool had required a 73rd-minute equaliser from Brad Smith to snatch a 2-2 draw at Exeter in the teams’ first meeting and the League Two side gave another good account of themselves in the reunion at Anfield.

But Juergen Klopp’s team prevailed in the third-round replay courtesy of a 10th-minute Joe Allen strike and first Liverpool goals for 18-year-old substitute Sheyi Ojo and Joao Teixeira.

Klopp, who made 10 changes to his starting XI, praised his young players, telling BT Sport: “They did really well. We could have scored more goals in both halves.

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“It’s still a short time that we’ve worked with these boys, but it was good. They showed that they are talented, with big skills, but they showed as well that they have to work, which is as it should be.”

Exeter’s 6,000 travelling fans saw their team fall behind early on when Allen tapped in at the near post after Smith had exchanged passes with Christian Benteke and cut the ball back from the byline on the left.

Jordon Ibe seemed on a personal mission to score Liverpool’s second goal, notably seeing a rasping shot hit the bar and bounce on the line, before admitting defeat and teeing up Ojo to curl home in front of the Kop in the 74th minute.

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Portuguese midfielder Teixeira got in on the act eight minutes later, finishing coolly from Benteke’s pass.