'I've been watching Lallana and it paid off'
Yan Dhanda has revealed his superb winning goal in the mini-derby against Everton was a result of studying the way Adam Lallana times his runs into the penalty area.
The 18-year-old struck with his left foot five minutes from time to seal a 2-1 victory for the U18s over their rivals at Finch Farm on Saturday.
The goal owed much to Dhanda’s perfectly timed run into the box and expert finish, after excellent link-up play between Glen McAuley and Rhian Brewster.
Dhanda admits it was a sweet moment on a personal level, seeing his extra work on the training field pay off.
“It’s a good feeling and there’s no better feeling than scoring a goal, especially against Everton away from home,” Dhanda told Liverpoolfc.com.
“I’ve been working on arriving late in the box because it’s hard to be picked up when you come in late.
“I’ve been watching clips of Lallana doing it and I’ve been practising it in training, running in on the back of the defender.
“I fancied my chances and luckily it fell to me and I scored.”
LFCTV GO: Dhanda nets the winner in the mini-derby
The former West Bromwich Albion youngster went on to describe how Lallana is an inspirational figure for him.
Dhanda has trained alongside the England international at Melwood this season and believes he is the perfect role model to learn from.
“I really do look up to Lallana, especially playing in this position, because he has so much energy,” he added.
“He’s a real main player in the Liverpool first team and I’ve been watching loads of clips on him recently, and I try to base my game on him now I’m playing in the middle of the pitch.”
The win over the Blues was also a proud day for Okera Simmonds, who registered his first goal at U18 level with the opener.
Dhanda said: “Okera has been working so hard in training and I was so happy for him.
“Every day he has been working hard to get himself into the team and for him to score was great for him and for us.
“We never thought it was going to be an easy game, especially when you play Everton away from home.
“Through the week we were working on different ways of playing because you can’t always play pretty football and I thought we got the balance right on Saturday.”
The derby win was the perfect way to prepare for Wednesday night’s FA Youth Cup fourth-round tie at Manchester City.
Dhanda says the team are in good spirits as they head into that clash on a 12-game unbeaten run.
He said: “The win over Everton has given us a lot of confidence because we showed we can play a different way, as well as the way we normally play at home.
“All of the lads are buzzing ahead of the FA Youth Cup game and we can’t wait for it now.
“They have got good players, we have got good players, so I think it will be down to who wants it more on the day and who can take their chances.”