What happened when Liverpool fielded ineligible player in the Carabao Cup under Jurgen Klopp

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Grimsby Town have been fined after fielding an ineligible player during their shock victory over Manchester United in the Carabao Cup second round last week. The EFL released a statement on Tuesday morning confirming loanee Clarke Oduor should not have been on the pitch.

League Two outfit Grimsby dumped Ruben Amorim's beleaguered United out of the League Cup after a thrilling 12-11 penalty shootout victory at Blundell Park on August 27. A pitch invasion ensued after one of the most remarkable giant-killing cup upsets in recent memory.

However, news that Grimsby fielded an ineligible player has led some fans to question whether a £20,000 fine is sufficient punishment. It's been highlighted that when Barnsley fielded an ineligible player during a first-round replay in the FA Cup against Horsham in 2023, they were expelled from the competition.

Liverpool Once Fielded Ineligible Player in League Cup

But there has been a similar incident in the Carabao Cup before - involving Man Utd's fierce rivals Liverpool. The Reds, then managed by legendary coach Jurgen Klopp, played Pedro Chirivella during a third-round clash against MK Dons in September 2019.

The 22-year-old Spaniard came on as a substitute during the 2-0 victory, but did not have international clearance for the fixture. The EFL reacted by fining Liverpool £20,000 - the same amount of money Grimsby have been fined - with £10,000 of the fine being suspended until the end of the 2020-21 campaign.

Per BBC Sport, the EFL said it "wasn't appropriate" to expel Liverpool from that season's Carabao Cup because of "mitigating factors". They added that Liverpool had "sought the assistance of the Football Association" before the season, and had been allowed to include Chirivella in their team for Premier League Two (the Under-23 competition) matches.

The EFL said at the time: "The club's breach was in part due to the challenges it encountered with securing the correct international clearance, and its subsequent ability to include the player on team sheets despite the lack of clearance. As a result the board concluded the most appropriate sanction was a financial penalty."

Liverpool reacted by saying they "accept the judgement, outcome and punishment", which they described as "proportionate with the technical indiscretion committed".

That controversial appearance was one of only 11 Chirivella made for Liverpool. The former Spain Under-17 international left Anfield permanently in 2020, securing a move to French side Nantes. He currently plies his trade with Greek club Panathinaikos.

The EFL set a precedent six years ago with the Chirivella case, so it's highly unlikely that calls for Grimsby to be expelled from the Carabao Cup will be listened to. But whether that might change if Manchester United decide to take further action remains to be seen.