THEY came to relive the old times at Elland Road last night. Thankfully for Rafael Benitez, however, the same did not apply to his team.

Liverpool began the process of exorcising the ghosts of the recent Carling Cup past by claiming narrow victory at Leeds United.

Dismal defeat in this competition at Tottenham Hotspur last year, along with previous capitulations against Arsenal and Crystal Palace, had sparked debate over the strength in depth of his squad and the effectiveness of the Academy.

But David Ngog’s 66th-minute winner ensured there would be no repeat post-mortem as Liverpool maintained their recent momentum with a fifth successive triumph.

It wasn’t pretty, nor was it convincing. Leeds, backed by a vociferous home crowd starved of this kind of occasion since their relegation from the Premier League, put huge pressure on a makeshift visiting defence for whom Jamie Carragher, desperate to atone for his showing at Upton Park on Saturday, was a defiant standout.

Matters could have been different had Leeds striker Luciano Becchio, standing in an offside position, resisted the temptation of touching Jermaine Beckford’s goalbound effort over the line in the 12th minute.

Ngog’s goal was reward for an afternoon in which, operating as a lone striker, he was given a buffeting by a physical Leeds back-line.

The Frenchman has been used sparingly since arriving from Paris Saint Germain at the beginning of last season, but Benitez’s decision not to bring in a new striker during the summer has opened a window of opportunity for the 20-year-old to ease the burden on frontline forwards Fernando Torres and Steven Gerrard.

And having netted the final goal in a 4-0 romp against Stoke City last month, Ngog took his tally to five goals in six starts – and 16 substitute appearances.

Benitez had urged his fringe players to make the most of their chance to stake a claim for more regular first-team inclusion.

The results were mixed. Jay Spearing, having hovered around the periphery for the last two years, was given a long-awaited full debut in central midfield.

Spearing can be pleased with a neat and tidy performance and deserves another opportunity, but worries persist over his physique.

Ryan Babel was typically inconsistent but at least showed a desire and hunger that was conspicuously absent from his early-season outings. However, neither Andrea Dossena nor Philipp Degen did anything to convince their Anfield careers won’t be terminated sooner rather than later, the former given a torrid time by Leeds winger Robert Snodgrass.