The Reds have lifted the trophy a record 10 times and knocked out Chelsea, who moved onto nine victories in the competition last year, in round three during a dramatic night at Leigh Sports Village.
At the same venue, there was another opportunity for Ryan's side to gain valuable experience of knock-out football with high stakes against a Seagulls team that nobody was underestimating after they moved past West Ham United at the first hurdle.
Although without Ethan Laird and Charlie McCann, there were starts for James Garner and Mason Greenwood, who were part of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's first-team training camp in Dubai recently.