'We score late goals because we never give up'
Barry Lewtas has hailed the fighting spirit and togetherness of his Liverpool U18s team after more late drama enabled the young Reds to earn a share of the spoils away at Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Remi Savage headed in a stoppage-time leveller last Saturday, which followed Layton Stewart's late winner in the 3-2 victory over Stoke City the previous week.
Lewtas' team netted decisive last-gasp strikes on eight occasions last season, too, and the U18s boss is delighted to see the trend continue so far this term.
Manchester United are next up for Lewtas' charges as they visit the Kirkby Academy on Saturday morning, a game you can watch live on LFCTV and LFCTV GO with kick-off set for 11am BST.
LFCTV GO: Watch the Wolves highlights
Read the boss' thoughts ahead of the match below...
On last Saturday's dramatic equaliser to gain a draw at Wolves…
I thought we deserved at least a draw. In fairness, it was a bit of a chess match in the first half. Wolves have a strong way of playing in terms of shape and formation and it took us a bit of time to work it out. I thought we pressed well and we created chances. We went in at half-time 1-0 down through a penalty and we tinkered with a few things to get in behind them more. The amount of times we got into their penalty area saw us create numerous chances and in the end the draw was the minimum we deserved so I'm pleased the boys kept going and showed what spirit they have got. We have scored a lot of late goals but that probably sums us up because we never give up.
On the quality of Leighton Clarkson's deliveries…
It was first-class. Leighton put some quality balls into their penalty area which created quite a wave of pressure. That helped us camp in their half a little bit and our set-piece deliveries were really good.
On Savage stepping up to the plate at the back in the absence of the injured Billy Koumetio…
Remi did well for us. Those two were starting to build a partnership before Billy was unfortunate to get an injury, so there was a lot of responsibility put on Remi. He weighed in with a goal as well so I was really pleased for him and I thought he deserved it.
On Saturday's home meeting with Manchester United…
It's a big fixture and we can't wait for the game. We had three tough games against them last season for different reasons. Along with a couple of the other teams, these are the ones we search for first when we get the fixture list. We are really excited for it.
On the importance of keeping discipline and trying to keep 11 players on the pitch…
I think the last six games we have played at U18 level against United we have been down to 10 men! I remember Abdi [Sharif] got sent off in the first game for a high foot which I understood but I thought it was a bit of a soft one. Morgan Boyes was sent off in the cup game but the biggest issue there was they stole a further 10 yards for the free-kick which they scored from! We just need to make sure we keep our house in order and we do things properly but I don't think we were overzealous last season and I don't think there was anything beyond the realms of what a Liverpool v Manchester United game is. A couple of them were maybe avoidable but it is certainly a message we will pass on to the lads before the game. We have had some good referees this season so far so I'm sure we will get one who understands the occasion and knows that players want to compete and play for the win.
On his message to the players ahead of Saturday's game…
Go out and enjoy it and express yourselves, which has been our message since I first got this job. We want to be difficult to beat and that involves playing on the front foot and the way we want to press. Certainly this team is evolving into a team that is getting better in transitional moments of the game. We'll certainly be looking to play to our strengths and hopefully create lots of chances and convert them on Saturday.