There was no upset this time but there were not many smiles, either. Oldham gave Brendan Rodgers his worst moment of 2013, now they have just left him with a headache.

Liverpool’s manager was left seething when Oldham bounced his side out in the fourth round 12 months ago; angry with himself for making so many changes at Boundary Park but enraged with his fringe players for letting him down when it mattered most.

That chastening 3-2 defeat made him realise he the pool of performers on which he could rely was small and he would have felt the same on Sunday night. Liverpool, with home advantage, dispatched their League One opponents 2-0 but only after Rodgers had called for the cavalry.

Brazilian midfielders Lucas and Philippe Coutinho, then Luis Suarez, were summoned from the substitutes’ bench in the second half after Rodgers had stood on the touchline for 45 minutes and been left visibly irritated by what he had seen.

‘We needed to do better,’ Rodgers said, after Iago Aspas strike and a James Tarkowski own goal secured Liverpool a date with either Burton or Bournemouth. ‘We needed more speed and intensity in our game. I didn’t want to do it but the last thing you want is for it to go to a replay.

‘As a manager you learn that you can’t just wait for it to happen. You know you have to create the momentum yourself. It was the sort of game where you hope to rest a number of players but we had to send on Lucas and Coutinho who were guys who had played all over the Christmas period.

‘They could probably have done with a rest. But we also wanted to win the game — I didn’t want it going to a replay. They (the fringe players) have to contribute. We can’t rely on 11/12 players (if we want to compete).’ But that is how it looks.

While there was the obvious bonus of Steven Gerrard returning without issue from a hamstring problem, few of the six changes that Rodgers made to the side that beat Hull 2-0 on New Year’s Day did anything to enthuse their manager.

Victor Moses and Luis Alberto were the main offenders, with left-back Aly Cissokho little better, yet there was at least a well-taken goal from Aspas, who arrived last summer from Celta Vigo for £7million but has rarely looked like providing value.

‘It was very important for his confidence,’ said Rodgers. ‘ It is difficult when you have a world class striker (Suarez) playing week in and week out, knocking in the goals with Daniel Sturridge supporting him so well. But it was good for him to get the 90 minutes and score in front of the Kop.

‘For goalscorers it is important to get goals as early as they can. He has given that cover to the team. The form of Suarez and Sturridge has given him very limited opportunities but he took his goal well. It was a difficult game; there was no doubt about that. You have to give Oldham credit.’

That was beyond dispute. Oldham maybe 19th in League One but as was the case when they last came to Anfield, at the same stage of the FA Cup in 2012, they fought for everything, hustled and bustled but just lacked quality when it mattered.

Lee Johnson, Oldham’s manager, felt his side should have had a penalty when Gary Harkin tumbled under a challenge from Daniel Agger and they came close to getting an equaliser when Michael Petrasso had a shot beaten away by Brad Jones.

Ultimately, they were vulnerable on the break and so it proved when the excellent Raheem Sterling’s shot was diverted into his own net by Tarkowski. That settled the tie and triggered the moment which gave Rodgers real satisfaction, when his son Anton came on for Oldham.

‘To see him run out there was a bit surreal, really,’ said Rodgers. ‘He is a great kid and as a father and mother we are very proud of him.

Oldham are a very enthusiastic young side with quality and we didn’t create enough in the first half. We were better in the second but it was still in the balance.’

—Daily Mail