A young, yet familiar under-21s side opened their season with a 3-0 defeat to Man City on Sunday, a testing start for eight players who featured for Jurgen Klopp throughout pre-season.
Liverpool U21s 0-3 Man City U21s
Premier League 2, Kirkby
August 7, 2022
Goals: Mebude 8′, 62′, Ogwuru 69′
Barry Lewtas ushered in the new season against the reigning Premier League 2 champions, naming seven players who featured for Klopp during pre-season in the starting XI.
That included goalkeeper Harvey Davies, Issac Mabaya, Luke Chambers, James Norris, Melkamu Frauendorf, Bobby Clark and the impressive Stefan Bajcetic.
In addition to those who enjoyed a summer to remember with the first team, striker Layton Stewart led the line after a strong pre-season following a torrid time with injury.
The new season makes for new players stepping up to the U21s level but, for Lewtas, “the same expectations will be there.”
A fast start created openings for both sides, but it was Man City‘s Adedire Mebude who capitalised on a loose ball in the penalty area to put City 1-0 up after just eight minutes.
The young Reds showed glimpses of finding a route to goal, and Norris and Frauendorf had chances to strike back.
It was City, though, who were asking all the questions and Davies had to be there with the answers to keep his side in touching distance at half-time.
Half time: Liverpool U21s 0-1 Man City U21s
The second half started with a chance for Norris and another crucial intervention from Davies, but two strikes from City within the space of seven minutes put the game beyond reach for Liverpool.
Mebude’s second, a tap-in, doubled the lead for the visitors before Daniel Ogwuru added the third with just over 20 minutes remaining in the contest.
Lewtas did inject Mateusz Musialowski into the contest off the bench, another player to feature for Klopp throughout pre-season, as well as Max Woltman, Dominic Corness and Oakley Cannonier.
Liverpool could not wrestle back the momentum and ended their day with plenty of valuable lessons for the campaign ahead.
Liverpool U21s: Davies; Mabaya, Quansah, Jonas, Chambers; Bajcetic (Corness 78′), Cain, Norris (Musialowski 64′); Frauendorf (Woltman 65′), Clark (Cannonier 78′), Stewart
Subs not used: Hewitson
Next Match: Brighton (A) – Premier League 2 – Sunday, August 14, 3pm
