Liverpool withheld a spirited showing from Fulham to advance to the Carabao Cup final at Craven Cottage, with the 1-1 draw enough after Marco Silva’s side lost 2-1 in the reverse leg two weeks ago.

Jurgen Klopp made a few changes to the team that destroyed Bournemouth in the Premier League the previous weekend, but Liverpool put up a dynamic and encouraging performance to demonstrate their capacity to compete on various fronts.

Quansah, a 20-year-old, was playing for Bristol Rovers in League One the previous season and is currently emerging as one of Anfield’s most promising academy graduates in recent memory.

Partnership Virgil van Dijk last night, the 6 foot 5 titan was composed and commanding in the backline and complemented his defensive efforts with the wonderful pass for Diaz to control and score from.

Taking 77 touches, Quansah completed 82% of his passes and succeeded with his one attempted dribble, though most impressively he made a whopping seven clearances to smash danger away from Caoimhin Kelleher’s goal.

Liverpool World journalist Will Rooney certainly noticed the rising talent’s display, handing him a healthy 8/10 match rating and writing: ‘Excellent diagonal ball would provide the assist for Diaz’s opener and he was solid throughout. Made one big block to keep out Palhinha in the closing stages.’

Praised for his “exceptional” display by The Athletic’s James Pearce, Quansah looks every bit the established star in Klopp’s system and his aerial delivery for Diaz’s deflected strike means that he boasts a goal and three assists from just 16 senior outings for the Reds.

A tad unlucky to unwittingly divert the ball that handed Diop the equaliser, Quansah is showcasing his calibre as a high-class defensive prospect, and was crucial in ensuring that Liverpool move to the last stage of their bid for a first slice of silverware this season.