Liverpool survived a scare from COVID-19-ravaged Aston Villa to reach the FA Cup fourth round with a 4-1 win against opponents missing their entire first-team squad as the pandemic wreaks havoc on English football. 

Villa fielded a raw side comprised entirely of youth academy players and were without boss Dean Smith after being hit hard by a COVID-19 outbreak earlier this week. In all, 14 unnamed Villa employees—nine players and five staff—have tested positive, forcing the Premier League club to close their training base on Thursday. Liverpool played a strong side for the third round tie at Villa Park, but Villa’s youngsters acquitted themselves well. Four of Villa’s starting line-up weren’t even born when Liverpool midfielder James Milner made his professional debut for Leeds in 2002. But they gave Liverpool a shock when Louie Barry cancelled out Sadio Mane’s opener.