Late pain for Under-21s on Merseyside

There was late disappointment for our Under-21s as they fell 4-2 to Liverpool in the final few minutes of our Premier League 2 encounter on Sunday afternoon.

Having taken the lead at Liverpool's Academy early on through James Wilson, the Reds had turned the game on its head by the hour mark with goals either side of half-time - Kieran Morrison levelling on 25 minutes before Prince Cisse headed them in front on 57 minutes.

We responded well though and were level within four minutes of going behind as Reiss Russell-Denny struck in a very competitive fixture.

However, there was to be heartbreak late on as, despite our valiant efforts, Liverpool scored twice in the final few minutes of the game to take all three points. Firstly, Will Wright reasserted their lead with four minutes to play before Morrison wrapped up the win with a further effort in added time.

The first half was one of few clear-cut opportunities with both sides struggling to knit much play together.

Despite that, we were a threat on the break and flourished in turning over play before transitioning - and that is how we carved our opener. Taking possession after pressure from Wilson forced Liverpool goalkeeper Armin Pecsi to send the ball out of touch, we built from the throw, moving the ball from left to right and into the box. There, Russell-Denny reached the byline before sending across goal to Elisha Sowunmi who in turn sent it back to where Wilson was waiting to force it home.

We didn’t let off after the opener, but the Reds certainly grew into the game, offering their own attacking outputs on the break, especially down either wing, and it was on the right where their equaliser came. After a slip from us in midfield, our hosts capitalised on the loose ball with Morrison picking up possession before driving into the box and whipping a strike that swerved past Luca Gunter.

They came close to turning the game on its head 10 minutes later when Kyle Kelly had time and space in the box to pick his spot, but a last-ditch block from Pele Arganese-McDermott kept the scores level. Liverpool continued to improve in the second half and came close once more to establishing a lead on 54 minutes as Trey Nyoni headed just wide. But he made up for that three minutes later as he then crossed for Cisse to head in.

We responded well though and managed to catch Liverpool off guard as Dante Cassanova claimed the ball back in midfield before driving forward and threading in Russell-Denny to level the scores once more. In quite the well-matched encounter, it was a justly deserved leveller, but it was not to be enough to keep Liverpool at bay as the Reds went on to win the game in the final minutes.

It took a piece of brilliance to break our resolve. Will Wright taking a long ball forward down impressively before turning and finishing in the box to restore the Reds' lead on 86 minutes. Then, as we chased the game in added time, they grabbed another. Morrison finishing once again the box to secure the victory for the men in red.

Match Data

Goals: Liverpool - Morrison 25, 90+1, Cisse 57, Wright 86; Spurs - Wilson 8, Russell-Denny 61.

Referee: Richard Aspinall

Venue: LFC Academy

Weather: Cloudy with moderate winds, 13 degrees