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It was all a far cry from Sunday's demolition of Manchester United, and Mo Salah and Co are unlikely to be too concerned by those competing for their first-team jerseys. But this was job done for Liverpool, and that's about as kind as you can be.

Two moments of quality settled the tie and sent Jurgen Klopp's side into the last eight. It is just as well that is all they needed, for they produced little else.

Takumi Minamino and Divock Origi were the second-half scorers but they will revert to the shadows this weekend. Indeed, it may even be the last we see of Klopp's League Cup stand-ins, now we are entering the business end of the competition with silverware in sight.

A superb strike from Divock Origi helped book Liverpool's place in the Carabao Cup quarters

The Belgian striker executed a sensational piece of improvisation at Deepdale on Wednesday

Preston North End keeper Declan Rudd was helpless to stop Origi's strike from hitting the net

For on a filthy night of wind and rain, the team-sheet was just as grubby. It showed a combined 20 changes and meant that a sell-out crowd of 22,131 was probably a record for reserve-team football.

Maybe some had naively bought tickets in anticipation of seeing Salah, the best player in the world. But not even the best players in Preston were on display here. Indeed, there was a feeling among some locals that their nine-man bench would have beaten their starting XI.

To think, Preston had never been to a League Cup quarter-final in their history. Yet their priority before kick-off was evidently this Saturday's visit of Luton.

Is this competition really worth persevering with when a supposed first-team fixture is vandalised with such frequency?

But then, as is often the way amid a contest of wholesale change, mistakes and chaos ensue, kind of like the understudies forgetting their lines. It is, invariably, entertaining. Intriguing, even.

For while we may well decry this as Liverpool's second-string, a centre-back pairing of Joe Gomez and Joel Matip would not be uncommon in the Premier League.

To see them dragged around Deepdale like a pair of teenage debutants, then, would have concerned Klopp.

Preston did not make it out of their own half inside the first 10 minutes. But all it took was one speculative punt to penetrate the visiting backline and, even though Sean Maguire swiped tamely over the crossbar, it at least instilled some belief.

Takumi Minamino opened the scoring for the Reds with a neat finish in the second half

The Japan international wheels away in celebration after finding the net for the visitors

Minamino is congratulated by Neco Williams and Conor Bradley after putting Liverpool ahead

The Championship side were left to rue their missed opportunities in the first half at Deepdale

Neco Williams blocked a goalbound effort on the line in Preston's biggest chance of the game

From that point until the break there was only going to be one team who broke the deadlock. That Preston did not find a deserved opener owed much to finishing as wild as the weather.

Brad Potts followed team-mate Maguire on what was proving a well-worn path straight through the middle of Liverpool's defence, but his shot also lacked venom and Adrian flipped behind with ease.

The Reds goalkeeper was made to work a damn sight harder to preserve his clean sheet moments later when Ali McCann squared for Maguire, unmarked six yards out.

The Irish striker has scored once this calendar year and here was the evidence as to why, an unconvincing poke that allowed Adrian to scramble across his goal-line and execute what looked a spectacular save. It was just as spectacular a miss, however.

Tom Barkhuizen sets his sights on goal from range but the striker blazed over the crossbar

Back up goalkeeper Adrian was given a rare run out in a much changed side at Deepdale

Jurgen Klopp also handed a senior debut to youngster Harvey Blair who started in attack

The ball rebounded to Ryan Ledson and his blast was blocked in the goalmouth by the face of Neco Williams, while Potts followed up to blaze horribly into the crowd.

Klopp had seen enough of Matip and he was duly hooked at half-time. Debutant Harvey Blair did not last much longer and, for all the pre-match talk of the 18-year-old forward, he made little noise on the pitch.

The same could not be said of Tyler Morton. He was another making his first Liverpool start and made a case for more with an assured display from the centre of midfield.

The 18-year-old sprang the pass that set Williams clear for the winning goal on 63 minutes. There was still much work to be done and the right-back drove into the area before dropping an inviting ball to the near post for Minamino to turn home.

Origi then masked an otherwise ineffective outing with an improvised hook five minutes from time to put some gloss on a scoreline that was hardly reflective of a drab team performance.

Re-live Sportsmail's live coverage of Preston 0-2 Liverpool brought to you by OLLIE LEWIS.