Liverpool academy boss John Owens was delighted to see three of his graduates earn their Champions League debuts last week.

In his column for liverpoolfc.tv, Owens wrote: "The highlight of the week undoubtedly came on Tuesday night when Jay Spearing, Stephen Darby and Martin Kelly featured as second-half substitutes in the first-team's 3-1 win away to PSV Eindhoven.

"It was evidence of the overall objective of the Academy and great for everyone involved with the club to see a couple of local lads making their European debuts.

"There's a rule that means there must be a certain quota of English players in the squad in the Champions League, but there were other subs available, and we are all really pleased that Rafa chose to give them a chance to show what they can do. Let's just hope they can sustain their progress and be knocking on the door of the first-team squad in the future."