AcademyU18s match report: Liverpool beaten away at Manchester United

Goals in either half from Gabriele Biancheri and Tyler Fletcher gave the home side all three points from the U18 Premier League North fixture.

There was a zip to the action from the off, though the opening 15 minutes passed without either goalkeeper being tested, as both sides failed to apply a decisive final touch to their attacks.

Bendito Mantato tried to change that with an excellent shimmy into space in the box from the right, though he would have hoped to do better with a low effort that went past the far post.

Cam Williams did really well to block out Mantato soon after as he was primed to pounce on a low cross, before DJ Esdaille slashed over the bar when Joe Bradshaw fired in a free-kick that was deflected into his path.

There were then big chances not taken at either end.

Firstly for United, a Zach Baumann cross from the left flank was only partly cleared inside the area and Biancheri’s snap-shot was thwarted by Bailey Hall’s reaction save.

Within a minute, Liverpool got Bradshaw scampering into huge space down the left flank. The No.11 moved infield and opened up his body for a curler that he misjudged, sending it beyond the top right corner.

The hosts got the breakthrough a minute before the half-time whistle. Godwill Kukonki guided in a low cross that reached Biancheri for a nudge over the line from yards out.

Marc Bridge-Wilkinson’s Reds shrugged off that setback with a spell of pressure early in the second half, with Josh Sonni-Lambie’s bobbler from distance – after showing strength and skill to create it – gathered in by the goalkeeper.

But just as the visitors were stepping up their knocks on the door, United counter-attacked and doubled their scoreline advantage.

James Scanlon threaded a pass in behind that invited Fletcher to burst into space through the middle. He bore down on Hall and slotted a composed low effort inside the left post.

The Reds ’keeper made an excellent save to repel a first-time volley from Mantato as United pressed for more, but there were no further goals.

TEAM

Hall, Esdaille, Williams, Pitt, Pinnington, Lonmeni, Forrester (Evers, 90), O’Connor, Sonni-Lambie, Cisse (Onanuga, 69), Bradshaw.

Unused subs: Bernard, Enahoro-Marcus, Ahmed.

NEXT UP

There is now a fortnight without a fixture for Bridge-Wilkinson’s team.

They return to action at the Kirkby Academy on Saturday September 14, hosting Blackburn Rovers in a league game that kicks off at 11am BST and will be shown live on LFCTV GO.