Caulker: We did enough to win - but look forward to replay
Steven Caulker believes Liverpool were unfortunate not to settle their FA Cup fourth-round tie with West Ham United at Anfield on Saturday afternoon.
But the defender insists he is excited by the prospect of a replay at Upton Park that could see Jürgen Klopp shuffle his pack again and hand out more first-team opportunities.
The manager made 10 changes for the visit of the Hammers, selecting a number of Academy starlets and senior players who have not seen as much action as their teammates in the Barclays Premier League of late.
It had little effect on the quality of the performance from the hosts, though, who created a string of chances and were only denied victory thanks to some heroics from 'keeper Darren Randolph in the opposition goal.
Caulker admits to feeling some degree of frustration over the fact the Reds could not make their dominance count, but says a trip to London to decide the tie should be relished.
"I felt like we created enough chances to win the game, unfortunately they didn't go in," he told Liverpoolfc.com.
"On the plus side, it's another game to look forward to. There were a few boys in the team there who have stepped up, including myself.
"It was my first start for the club and I've enjoyed that and if I get the nod again I'll be delighted to play."
The 24-year-old made his first start for Liverpool since sealing a loan move from Queens Park Rangers earlier this month in the cup clash with Slaven Bilic's side.
Reflecting on his first competitive run-out for some time, Caulker added: "It was good, I enjoyed it and it's a clean sheet, so that's a positive to take.
"It's been two months since my last competitive 90 minutes so it's been a while. I felt OK in the game, I thought we dealt with it quite well as a team.
"We were the slightly better side and unfortunate not to win."
Caulker also offered his thoughts on Klopp's decision to rotate his squad, which he believes was essential ahead of a trip to Leicester City on Tuesday.
"The manager wants to do well in every competition, and not forgetting the league," he continued.
"We've got two big league games coming up so he decided to rest a few of the main starters and keep them fresh for Tuesday night, which is obviously a good decision because it's going to be a tough game."