Liverpool suffer dramatic late collapse after triple injury blow

Liverpool Under-18s conceded twice in stoppage-time as they came out on the wrong side of a five-goals thriller in the Merseyside derby against Everton on Saturday.

Joe Bradshaw twice fired Marc Bridge-Wilkinson’s side in front in the first half, with Braiden Graham briefly levelling the scores for the hosts.

But with Everton upping the ante to equalise once more, and twice being denied by the woodwork, their pressure belatedly paid off at the death to inflict heartbreak on the young Reds, with captain Aled Thomas heading home from a corner before substitute Kean Wren volleyed home as Liverpool fell to a 3-2 loss.

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The young Reds started brightly in a fiery encounter and didn’t have to wait long to take the lead. After Liverpool saw a shot blocked in the box, Liverpool recovered possession to cross to the far post, with Bradshaw leaping highest to score with a looping header.

Everton fought back and almost netted an immediate equaliser as Bailey Hall had to be alert to deny George Morgan, palming away the forward’s header from Malik Olayiwola’s cross..

The Reds then hit the Blues on the counter and thought they had doubled their lead when Joshua Sonnie-Lambe got in behind and slotted past Douglass Lukjanciks. However, he was adjudged offside as his strike was ruled out.

Both sides saw penalty appeals waved away on the quarter-hour mark as Graham was booked for simulation after going down after trying to round Hall, before Harry Evers saw his own appeals waved away after being pulled down at the other end.

Everton equalised midway through the half following smart play from Graham. Receiving the ball in the box, he turned well before rifling into the bottom corner.

Liverpool fought back as Clae Ewing saw a shot blocked from Bradshaw’s cutback, before Scofield Lonmeni’s follow-up was deflected behind.

The young Reds managed to re-take the lead soon after following magnificent individual play from Bradshaw. Receiving the ball on the left-flank, he skipped past George Finney in the box with clever feet before powering into the far corner from the acutest of angles.

Everton finished the half strongly with Hall twice denying Graham from close-range, while Joel Catesby shot over the bar from distance.

Graham then headed against the crossbar on the stroke of half-time, before Hall was alert to keep out both Morgan’s close-range effort and the inadvertent rebound off his own defender.

Liverpool brought on Rio Ngumoha at half-time, but immediately found themselves under pressure from the restart. Justin Clarke shot wide across goal following a solo-run from the halfway line into the box.

Emmanuel Airobomba headed off-target from a free-kick, smartly won by Ngumoha, but in truth it was a rare attack from the young Reds after the restart.

Catesby would shoot wide after being picked out by Luis Gardner, before Everton were denied an equaliser by the woodwork - Graham striking against the post after holding off a challenge.

Ngumoha continued to be involved for Liverpool, and was denied by Lukjanciks midway through the half as the shot-stopper got down low to tip his deflected effort behind.

At the other end, Hall was called into action once more to deny Ceiran Loney one-on-one after the substitute was played in by a clever flick from Morgan.

Ngumoha would see a long-range strike deflected over before shooting straight at Lukjanciks, while Clarke shot into the side-netting at the other end.

But Liverpool were finding themselves under increasing pressure, and, having seen Ewing, Evers and Airoboma all limp off injured, were ultimately unable to hold on as the game entered stoppage-time.

Winning a succession of corners, Loney was denied by Hall, before Luca Davis and Graham both had shots blocked. But Everton’s pressure paid off from their third corner in a row as captain Thomas rose highest to head home at the far post in the last-minute of stoppage time.

The young Reds then had only themselves to blame for Everton’s winner as they failed to clear under pressure from Morgan. Substitute Wren rifled home after the ball fell kindly to him in the box to inflict the most dramatic of defeats on Liverpool.

Liverpool team: Hall; Pitt, Airoboma (Martin, 90), Enahoro-Marcus, Evers (Furnell-Gill, 64); Esdaille, Ewing (Upton, 64); Bradshaw, Lonmeni (Ngumoha, 46), O’Connor; Sonni-Lambie.

Unused subs: Bernard.