Youth Cup final reaction: 'We are really proud of the boys'
Marc Bridge-Wilkinson expressed immense pride in his Liverpool U18s side after they were beaten 2-1 by Aston Villa in the 2021 FA Youth Cup final.
First-half goals from Ben Chrisene and Brad Young at Villa Park saw the young Reds edged out in the competition's showpiece on Monday evening.
Substitute Melkamu Frauendorf pulled one back for the visitors in the 73rd minute, but they were unable to find an equaliser to send the contest to extra-time.
Read on for Liverpoolfc.com's post-match interview with the U18s boss...
On his immediate reaction...
We're really proud of them. We didn't start the game very well, that was pretty obvious to see. But we made a game of it, we put them on the backfoot in the second half and we managed to create opportunities in and around their box.
On causing Villa problems in the final third...
It was something we tried to highlight before the game but, unfortunately, we couldn't quite get it right tonight. We're really proud of the boys, we're really proud of their effort. Obviously we're disappointed with the way it's gone in the end.
On battling until the end...
It wasn't easy because Aston Villa are a really good side, they've got some really good players. We regrouped, we got together, we made sure we stuck together and we found a way of changing the game in our favour in the second half. We were always going to concede chances to them and they had lots of chances, but we managed to affect their goal as well. Even at the end, we were still trying and fighting to see if we could get that goal.
On lifting his players...
I think it's about regrouping, it's just about making sure we're there for them. This is the first competitive final that some of them will have played and, unfortunately, [they're] on the wrong side of it. But again, it's a learning curve and something we can take great pride in the fact that we got here and we performed.
On looking back on the season...
It's been a good season, it's been a positive season. We've had lots of boys that have achieved in games and we've had boys that have obviously moved forwards into training groups and games they've played with the U23s and been involved in first-team training. But of course it's football and football changes day to day. It's great to say this has happened this season – and the boys have shown an awful lot of potential – but ultimately we've got to keep going, we've got to keep these boys hungry. We're going to help them learn and adapt to the game even more so moving forwards.