Youth Team/Cup

[alles ist gut]

What a save by Ward!

[Allan]

Liverpool 0 Sparta Prague 1

 

The ball is worked from right to left where the number 12 smashes a low shot that deflects off Lloyd Jones and past Danny Ward.

[alles ist gut]

the scorer makes up for his penalty miss

 

Meanwhile at Kirkby MCFC are down to 10 men in the last minute.

[Allan]

What a save from the keeper to deny Jones.

 

Jones meets a corner with a thumping header, but the visiting keeper is across to deny big Lloyd.

[Allan]

the scorer makes up for his penalty miss

 

Meanwhile at Kirkby MCFC are down to 10 men in the last minute.

 

2 yellow cards in a minute.

[Allan]

6 minutes of stoppage timed signalled. They've got a player down, so should be more time added on.

[alles ist gut]

It finishes 1-1 in the Under-18s.

[alles ist gut]

We murdered 'em 0-1

 

Now let's see what's happening in the League - oh bollocks to that as well.

[Allan]

Full time - Liverpool 0 Sparta Prague 1

 

Credit Sparta, they defended really well all game, though can count themselves somewhat fortunate to pick up the 3 points, as we were utterly dominant in the second half.

 

Thought we were a little top heavy, and their goal came as a result of wide players being unmarked on the wings.

[Gym Beglin]

Like I said last night, their number 12 was eye-catching.  He must have been operating as a sort of wing-back on the left, but he was up and down with great speed all night, great movement in the final third, and had enough about him to get back and suppress Harry Wilson, some lovely defending from what seems a very attacking player who in the end scored the winner.

[Allan]

Under 18s Match Report

 

Liam Millar was on the mark as Liverpool U18s played out a 1-1 draw with Manchester City at the Kirkby Academy on Tuesday night in front of the watching Jürgen Klopp.

 

The young Canadian took his tally to 12 goals for the season as Steven Gerrard’s side continued their unbeaten start to 2017-18.

 

Keke Simmonds grabbed a second half equaliser for the away side, but the young Reds gave an excellent account of themselves against the current U18 Premier League leaders.

 

Reflecting on the 90 minutes, Gerrard told Liverpoolfc.com: “It was a good contest for the lads and I thought it was probably a fair result in terms of we were the better side in the first half and they came into it in the second.

 

“Maybe on chances we deserved a bit more out of the game but I’m not complaining with the point and a draw was probably fair overall.

 

“Liam scored an excellent goal to put us ahead. Elijah [Dixon-Bonner] won the ball and played a great first time pass to Eddie [Edvard Tagseth]. He then produced a great pass to find Liam who found the net. It was a great goal.

 

“Liam’s in a really good place. He’s smiling, he’s enjoying his football, he’s working hard in training and doing really well.

 

“We went into the game with belief and confidence and I’m really proud of the boys because they gave me everything, every one of them emptied the tank all over the pitch and they were excellent.

 

“If we had gone into the break 2-0 up I don’t think City could have complained, but to be fair to City they were better than us certainly for the first 25 minutes of the second half.

 

“We then came back into the game but we’ve gone toe to toe with the team at the top of the league, and that’s what makes me pleased the most because we made it a good contest and it was a really good game of football.”

 

Liverpool U18s: Grabara, R Williams, Clayton, Glennon (Glatzel, 70), Lewis, Camacho, Dixon-Bonner, Sharif, Jones, Tagseth, Millar (Boyes, 85).

[Allan]

Under 23s Match Report

 

Liverpool U23s were hit by a late sucker punch as they suffered a 1-0 defeat to Sparta Prague in the Premier League International Cup on Tuesday evening.

 

The Reds bossed large periods of play at Prenton Park but failed to convert their best chance of the match when Harry Wilson sent a penalty wide in the first half.

 

It looked like the game would end honours even when Sparta missed a spot-kick off their own late in the second period but Srdan Placsic, the man thwarted by Danny Ward, made amends five minutes from time.

 

Liverpool will now need to beat PSV Eindhoven in their final group game next month to stand a chance of progressing to the next round.

 

With the U23s playing their second of three games in an eight-day period, Neil Critchley opted to make a number of changes.

 

That meant a move to an unfamiliar three-at-the-back formation and a rest for striker Rhian Brewster, while Ward was introduced to the starting line-up in goal.

 

Perhaps due to the change in shape, the hosts made a slow start to proceedings.

 

It took until the 19th minute for the either side to go close, with Ben Woodburn clipping the crossbar from a brilliant 25-yard free-kick, but that effort seemed to bring the game to life.

 

Sparta Prague shook the woodwork themselves shortly after through Lukas Julis, who arguably should have done better with so much of the goal to aim at.

 

Wilson then saw the ball pinched off his toes in winding up for a finish inside the box - though he would have an even better chance just before the break.

 

A quick one-two with Danny Ings allowed Bobby Adenkanye to burst into the visitors' box, where he was tripped by Eldar Civic, but Wilson could only clip the outside of the post with his penalty attempt after sending the 'keeper the wrong way.

 

Liverpool continued to have the best of the game in the second period, with Yan Dhanda firing a powerful effort just wide inside the first five minutes and Wilson seeing a curling attempt headed off the line soon after.

 

Critchley looked to help his side turn the screw in the final 20 minutes, introducing both Brewster and Matty Virtue from the substitute's bench.

 

But it looked like a rare foray forward from Sparta might prove the difference in the end when Conor Masterson tripped Youssouf Dao in the box with time ticking away.

 

Ward had other ideas, and produced a brilliant penalty stop from Placsic to keep the scores level at Prenton Park.

 

The young forward had his moment five minutes from time, though, sending a deflected effort beyond the Reds 'keeper to clinch all three points for the visitors.

 

Liverpool U23s: Ward, Masterson, L. Jones, Johnston, Kane (Virtue, 73), Ejaria, Wilson, Dhanda (Brewster, 73), Woodburn, Adekanye, Ings.

 

Unused subs: Kelleher, Alves, Parker, Brannagan.

[Allan]

18s will play Hartlepool in the FA Youth Cup.

 

Offal

 

Liverpool's Academy youngsters will face a trip to Hartlepool United in the FA Youth Cup third round.

 

The tie will be played at Victoria Park on Wednesday December 13, with kick-off set for 7pm GMT.

 

Hartlepool earned the right to host Steven Gerrard's side after they beat Carlisle United 2-0 in their second round tie on Tuesday night, with both goals coming in the final five minutes at Brunton Park.

 

The young Reds have won the competition three times - the last of which came in 2007 after a victory over Manchester United at Old Trafford.

[Allan]

The 18s beat Sunderland 3-2 at The Academy earlier today in the Premier League Cup.

 

Offal Match Report

 

Adam Lewis came off the bench to score twice as Liverpool U18s marched through to the quarter-finals of the Premier League Cup after a 3-2 win over Sunderland on Saturday.

 

Going into the game at the Kirkby Academy, Steven Gerrard was without key performers like Liam Millar, Glen McAuley, Rhys Williams and Paul Glatzel, while Lewis was only able to make the bench.

 

Sunderland took the lead through Lee Connelly but the young Reds responded after the half-time break when Lewis drilled home an unstoppable effort to make it 1-1.

 

Rafael Camacho then pounced to make it 2-1 after superb work from Edvard Tagseth, before the young Black Cats drew level at 2-2 through Connelly again.

 

With time almost up, Camacho was sent tumbling by Sunderland goalkeeper Anthony Patterson, and Lewis made no mistake with a penalty to seal a 3-2 win.

 

Reflecting on the victory, Gerrard told Liverpoolfc.com: “In the first half we didn’t turn up really but I sort of challenged them at half-time and told them they weren’t good enough and we needed more from them.

 

“They delivered in the second half. Adam [Lewis] coming on from the bench changed the game for us and also Niall Brookwell on his U18s debut came on for the last 35 minutes and was excellent.

 

“We had four players not available for us today because of illness and we’ve got a few injuries as well, so we were eight or nine players down, but it was an opportunity for other people to stake a claim.

 

“Overall a good result and a good performance in the second half but we weren’t at the races in the first.

 

“I’ve said to the lads can we beat Hartlepool United now in the FA Youth Cup third round and then we will have three cups to look forward to.

 

“Our focus now turns to the U19 game with Spartak Moscow in the UEFA Youth League on Wednesday and hopefully we can get a positive result in our final group game.”

 

Liverpool U18s: Jaros, Sharif, Boyes (Lewis, 45), Clayton, Glennon, Dixon-Bonner, Longstaff (Brookwell, 65), Tagseth, Larouci, Jones, Camacho.

 

Subs not used: Raitanen, Atherton, Cain.

[Allan]

The 23s take on Stoke in the Premier League Cup this afternoon. Kick off at 13:00, with live coverage on LFCTV GO from 12:55.

 

Line-up:

 

Kelleher, Whelan, Johnston, Jones, Masterson, Brannagan, Kane, Ejaria, Brewster, Ings, Wilson.

 

Subs:Williams, Parker, Juanma, Alves, Dhanda.

[aRdja]

Dynamite... Are Jones and Masterson that far way from filling in for the first team that Klopp preferred to play Gini there yesterday? I’ve only read good things about them, especially Masterson.

[Allan]

Dynamite... Are Jones and Masterson that far way from filling in for the first team that Klopp preferred to play Gini there yesterday? I’ve only read good things about them, especially Masterson.

Yes. Neither is good enough for first team football. Masterson might be in a few years, but Jones won't make it with us, in my opinion. League 1 seems about his level in all honesty.

 

Hope to be proved wrong, however.

[Allan]

Liverpool 0 Stoke 1

 

Brannagan loses the ball just outside our box, and the visitors make him pay, with Ngoy tapping in a rebound after Kelleher kept out Campbell's initial effort.

[Allan]

Liverpool 1 Stoke 1

 

Lloyd Jones thumps in the equaliser with a near post header from Harry Wilson's inswinging corner.

[aws]

Liverpool 1 Stoke 1

Lloyd Jones thumps in the equaliser with a near post header from Harry Wilson's inswinging corner.

The old Welsh one-two.

[Allan]

Liverpool 1 Stoke 2

 

Campbell gets the second for the visitors. Forced to the left side of the penalty box, he tries his luck, and the ball rolls through Kelleher and into the back of the net. Mistake by the young Irishman in goal today.

[Allan]

Liverpool 1 Stoke 3

 

The visitors extend their lead after more sloppy play from us just outside our box. The ball finds its way to the left of the box where Shenton is on hand to lash an effort past Kelleher from 18 yards.

[Allan]

Half time - Liverpool 1 Stoke 3

 

As ever we've seen far more of the ball than the opposition, but we've been very sloppy in our defensive areas, gifting the visitors all 3 goals.

[Allan]

Penalty to Liverpool as Brewster is brought down in the box.

[Guest Pistonbroke]

yeah, 2-3 now. Hopefully they turn it around.