Liverpool u18 1 Man Utd u18 2 - Youth Cup Final 1st Leg (Apr 16 2007)

[TLW]

LIVERPOOL U18 1 Man Utd u18 2

Report by Dave Usher at Anfield

Scorer(s) - Craig Lindfield Half Time - 1-0 Venue - Anfield Date - Mon 16 Apr 2007 Star Man - Ray Putterill

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

They think it’s all over. Well it isn’t, not by a long stretch. Last night’s 2-1 home defeat is a big blow to the young reds, but they are more than capable of going to Old Trafford and winning. United got lucky at Anfield (where have we heard that before), but Liverpool are a better side and as long as they believe they can do it, they are more than capable of turning this tie around.

Aside from a twenty minute spell in the 2nd half, Liverpool dominated this game. They played some excellent football at times, especially in the first half, but even so, I don’t think the lads played anywhere near as well as they can. That is why I’m still very confident that they can retain the trophy by winning the 2nd leg. They will have to up their game though, which I'm sure they will.

Astrit Ajdarevic will be back, meaning the side will be back to full strength and Ryan Flynn can push forward more to support Lindfield. The Swede was missed in this game, mainly because Flynn was a lot more restricted than he normally would be. Flynn’s forward runs and eye for goal have been a big part of the run to the final, and the reds are going to need him to have a big game at Old Trafford.

I wasn’t too impressed with United, they were very fortunate with both goals and played mainly on the counter attack. They’ll have star defender Craig Cathcart back for the 2nd game, which will make them a stronger side, but I genuinely feel Liverpool are a better side than them, I just hope the lads believe it.

The first half performance was good, as Liverpool’s greater desire was evident as they chased and harried and were first to every loose ball. No-one typified this more than the tenacious Jimmy Ryan who really put himself about on the right hand side.

The big danger to the mancs however was on the other flank, where Ray Putterill was in irresistible form. His performances have been getting better and better as the season has progressed, and he tormented the United defence all night. They couldn’t get the ball off him, as he jinked inside and out. He’d usually come inside onto his right foot, but he is capable of going the other way and he did that too occasionally just to keep them guessing.

United right back Richard Eckersley is very highly rated (and judging by his looks, he's a future United right back in the making), but Ray tore him to shreds. Time and again he went past him, only to be tugged back by his shirt. Eventually after the umpteenth time, Putterill lost his temper and offered the defender his shirt, as he’d been trying to rip it from his back since the first few minutes.

Putterill had laid a marker down the very first time he got the ball, when he went past Eckersley as though he wasn’t even there. Every time after that when he received possession, he ran at the defence, and nine times out of ten he went past his man and produced either a cross or a shot.

He’d already produced a couple of dangerous deliveries before he created the opening goal, picking out Lindfield on the near post who nipped in ahead of the keeper to open the scoring. The goal should have opened the floodgates, as Steve Heighway’s side were well on top and United were struggling to put more than two passes together. The reds’ midfield were closing them down so quickly that United just kept giving the ball away. Maybe that took too much out of our lads, as they couldn’t keep the pace up after the break and United came back into it more.

The first half display was impressive, but the keeper wasn't exactly overworked and the main problem was we didn't get enough players into the box to support Lindfield. Putterill was regularly getting dangerous crosses in, but too often there was no-one on the end of them. In the 2nd leg, that's where Flynn could be vital.

United did threaten on the counter a couple of time, most notably when Fagan had a shot well saved by Hansen. Liverpool went immediately up other end though, and Barnett wriggled through a couple of challenges but his shot on the stretch lacked power and was easily saved.

The left hand side was proving to be very profitable for the reds, not just because of Putterill either. Left back Michael Burns was bombing forward whenever he could, and from one fanstastic run from inside his own half he almost picked out Lindfield, but the cross was just cut out by the keeper.

United didn’t look comfortable whenever crosses came into the box, and just before half time Putterill swung another dangerous ball in and Lindfield collided with keeper. Both required treatment, but both were fine to continue in the 2nd half.

Liverpool had been so much on top, that the half time interval was always going to be more beneficial to United. They had a chance to regroup and assess what was going wrong. They noticeably stepped up the pace of their game, closing down our midfielders quicker and preventing them from getting the ball out to Putterill as often.

Five minutes after the restart, they drew level in fortunate circumstances. Galbraith got in down the left, and his cross was turned into his own net by Threlfall. The frustrating thing was it didn’t look like he needed to try and clear it as he wasn’t under any pressure, but there was no way for him to know that and it didn’t seem like Hansen gave him a shout. Jamie Carragher was watching from the director's box, and no doubt he could empathise with what Threlfall was going through. At least Robbie only did it the once!

This time last year Robbie scored at the Kop end in the final, and he’s probably dreamt of repeating that. Not like this though. Anyone who been to any of the earlier rounds will know that Threlfall and Spearing have been as big a reason as any why the reds are even in the final. Both have been faultless all the way through this cup run, so it’s very unfortunate that one scored an OG and the other conceded a penalty in this game. They’ll bounce back in the 2nd leg, as both lads have got great character.

The goal really lifted United, and they enjoyed a good spell after that as Liverpool’s game fell to pieces. The passing that had been so crisp and assured in the first half, was now ragged and untidy.

United skipper Hewson had a shot from 18 yards well saved by Hansen, and at that stage Liverpool were struggling badly. They slowly began to reassert themselves however, and Putterill shot just over after a mazy run past three defenders. He also saw another strike blocked by a defender’s arm in the penalty area. Mark Clattenberg wasn’t interested in the appeals for a spot kick however.

He wasted no time in pointing to the spot not long afterwards, when Brandy went tumbling theatrically. If United’s first goal had been spawny, this was even more so. A shot from distance struck a Liverpool defender and fell perfectly into the path of Brandy, who wriggled away from Threlfall. Spearing lunged in and the forward went tumbling. It looked a penalty from where I was sat I must admit, but a mate watching on TV texted me to say there was no contact at all and it was a dive. Clearly they start them young at Old Trafford.

Hewson held his nerve to calmly put away the penalty, and an evening that had started so well was now becoming a nightmare for the young reds.

They rallied and pushed for an equaliser, and went close a couple of times through Ryan and Threlfall, but it just wasn’t to be their night. It was disappointing, but the lads need to look at it from the perspective that it’s only half time, and that they are better than United. So what if they have to go to Old Trafford. With Ajdarevic back they’ve got every chance of turning this around. And how sweet would it be for them to go there and spoil the party? This is the opportunity of a lifetime, they should be really looking forward to it.

They are good enough to do it, but they have to believe that and go out and prove it. I’m very confident that they will go there and win, and I’d like to think they are too. If they aren’t, well they should be.

A word about the crowd. It was a decent attendance, especially given that the club clearly didn’t really want people to go (doubling the prices on the night so there was no walk up crowd was a disgrace and they should be ashamed of themselves), but it was very quiet, especially during the spell where United got on top. I suppose that’s to be expected as there were a lot of families there and it wasn’t your typical cup tie crowd.

At least, it wasn’t typical from our fans. The mancs on the other hand couldn’t have been any more stereotypical, unless they’d started rioting and fighting with police before blaming everyone else. But I’ll get to them in a minute.

First I’m going to name and shame some of the reserve team squad who showed such fantastic support to their colleagues by leaving early. A number of them were sat near to where I was, and to their credit Jack Hobbs and Paul Anderson stayed to the very end. Nabil El Zhar, Jordy Brouwer and Godwin Antwi on the other hand, decided enough was enough and just got off with ten minutes still to go.

Maybe they were worried that they’d be mobbed by autograph hunters if they’d left at the same time as everyone else. One small flaw with that, no-one knew who they were. Poor show that lads, especially Godwin who was in the side that won the trophy last season.

I’d also like to single out a young kid from the group of under 9’s who were on the pitch at half time. Some of the finishing from those kids was amazing, pinging balls into the top corner from 18 yards and that, most impressive. Even more impressive though, was the young man at the front who ran up to the United fans giving them the ‘fivetimes’ salute as he left the field. Fantastic stuff, he’s a credit to his family and his club. A Robbie Fowler in the making there.

Speaking of the mancs though, there was only a few hundred of them, the vast majority of whom will have been related to the players. Yet they gave it the full anti-scouse repertoire, including the tedious and blatantly untrue ‘without killing anyone we won it two times’. There were also taunts about Gerrard’s missus, Justice for Heysel, Murderers etc. Classy bunch those players’ families aren’t they? Chavtastic.


Still, our lads should just use that as extra motivation for the return game. Imagine winning the youth cup at Old Trafford, in front of all those gormless scouse hating morons? That would be even better than winning it at Anfield.

Some of the lads will probably be reading this, and I know for sure that some of their families will be, so my message to them is not to worry about what happened last night. It was unfortunate, but so what. There’s another ninety minutes to put that straight. You’re better than them, so go out and prove it. Running around Old Trafford as Liverpool players parading a trophy in front of them is as good as it gets.

It will be the last game you ever play together as a group, so go out in style and fucking destroy them. To paraphrase that whackjob from 'the Waterboy' and 'Happy Gilmore': "You can do eet!!"


Team: Hansen; Darby, Spearing, Threlfall, Burns; Ryan, Flynn, Barnett, Putterill; Woodward (Eccleston), Lindfield: