Young Reds edged out by Barcelona in Otten Cup
Liverpool’s youngsters were edged out 2-1 by Barcelona in the semi-finals of the Otten Cup in Holland on Sunday.
The U19 squad featured the likes of Harry Wilson, Sergi Canos, Pedro Chirivella, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Adam Phillips.
After impressive victories over Guangzhou Evergrande and Red Bull Brasil, Neil Critchley’s side reached the last four of the tournament hosted by PSV Eindhoven.
Barcelona took the lead from the penalty spot before Chirivella fired the equaliser, but a goal conceded from a corner e was enough to take the Spanish side through to the final.
In the third and fourth placed play-off game with Paris Saint-Germain, Liverpool produced an impressive display but after a goalless draw, lost the game 4-3 on penalties.
Reflecting on the his side’s performances, Critchley told Liverpoolfc.com: “We produced some very good performances against some of the best young teams in Europe.
“I believe we are on a par with these teams which is very encouraging.
“We were unfortunate to lose to Barcelona. It was a great game and we played very well.
“The manner of our performance was very encouraging and we come away with a feeling of what could have been, because we could easily have won the game.
“In the play-off game we played some great football and created some great opportunities, but just couldn’t put the ball in the back of the net.
“The only below par display from the lads was when we lost 5-1 to PSG in our third group game, but we had already qualified for the semi-finals.
“I tried a few different things tactically in that game and they needed the victory, but our last game against them was totally different and we were unfortunate not to beat them.”
Liverpool’s results in Otten Cup
Guangzhou Evergrande. 2-1 (Toni Gomes, Wilson).
Red Bull Brasil. 3-1 (Dhanda 2, Wilson).
Paris Saint-Germain. 1-5 (Adekanye).
Semi-final. Barcelona. 1-2 (Chirivella).
Play-off for third place. Paris Saint-Germain. 0-0 (lost 4-3 on penalties).