Liverpool teenager sends Arne Slot reminder as defender makes long-awaited return

Not for the first time during a frustrating afternoon at the Academy in Kirkby, an anguished Trey Nyoni put his hands to his head and looked up to the skies. Deep into injury-time with Liverpool seeking an equaliser to Omari Benjamin's opener for Everton midway through the second half, the midfielder found space in the area, turned and fired a powerful shot that was parried over the crossbar by busy Blues goalkeeper Zan-Luk Leban.

After a first half in which he flitted in and out of the game, Nyoni was a far more dominant presence during the second half.

And with both his long-range shooting and ability to ghost into the box from the number 10 position, the 17-year-old had looked the most likely to find a leveller for the Reds before Benjamin struck his second in the closing moments.

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The absence of Tyler Morton - first-team injuries indicate he may be required for squad duty at Arsenal on Sunday - meant Nyoni was the prominent figure in midfield.

And there was enough in this performance to suggest a place on the bench could be in the offing in the League Cup visit to Brighton on Wednesday.

Reds lack ruthless streak

This has been a tough week in terms of results for under-21s boss Barry Lewtas, who was in charge of the U19 side beaten at RB Leipzig in the UEFA Youth League on Wednesday afternoon.

And while there was no sense of Liverpool being similarly overpowered by Everton, instead they were guilty of a lack of decisiveness in both boxes in only a second Premier League 2 defeat of the season.

"We only have ourselves to blame a little bit for both Everton goals, but it was a good game between two good teams," says Lewtas. "Everton did well what they do well, but we didn't do enough in the final third.

"It's a bit like Leipzig, on another day we could score four or five and that's a little bit what is hurting us at the moment. We aren't being ruthless in both boxes.

"But we didn't have a run of chances. We had sustained possession but we didn't create a lot of chances, although their keeper made some good saves. We just couldn't get in front of goal often enough, which is credit to Everton for the way they defended."

One interested observer in the stands was Jayden Danns. The 18-year-old striker hasn't featured this season due to a back problem, but was back running on the pitch earlier this month. "Jayden is still working his way back," confirms Lewtas.

Mabaya returns

There was one obvious positive for Liverpool when, moments before Everton's opener on 65 minutes, Isaac Mabaya was introduced from the bench for Tommy Pilling.

It was the 20-year-old's first appearance since limping off in the 3-0 win at Old Trafford in April, which itself was only a second outing since a serious injury the previous September.

After such an injury-affected 12 months, Mabaya put in a lively display at right-back and created once chance for Nyoni.

And a delighted Lewtas says: "It was really good to see Isaac back. Obviously he has been training for a while and it was important to try and get him back and give him some game minutes.

"He has been really working his socks off and was a real threat when he came on, he linked up well with Kieran. It's great to have him back."