Lallana jokes he was 'babysitting' as he starred with Liverpool's youngsters

Adam Lallana was on 'babysitting' duties in Liverpool's FA Cup humiliation of Everton, as the elder statesman in Sunday's Merseyside derby victory claims winning is an 'addiction' even the youngest Reds possess.

The Englishman was one of only three players over 25 in the starting XI, lining up alongside 16-year-old Harvey Elliot and 18-year-old Curtis Jones - who scored the stunner that separated the sides in the 1-0 win.

Despite including veterans Adrian (33) and James Milner (34), Jurgen Klopp's side still managed an average age of 24-years-old on the night.

Lallana is now one of the Reds' experience players, with almost six years at Anfield under his belt.

The 31-year-old midfielder has seen little Premier League action this season, but played an important role helping the youngsters take Liverpool's unbeaten home record into 2020.

'I was almost babysitting out there at times, but we came into this game with the message: "expect to win,"' Lallana said.

'I couldn't care less about the average age of the team, we expected to win this. I know how good the young lads are, they train with us every day and it's just about breeding that winning mentality and culture we've got here.

'There were no surprises that we came out win the win today. '