Legends support the Liverpool Cup
Liverpool stars past and present turned out to show their support for primary school children taking part in the annual Liverpool Cup at Anfield.
The tournament, still going strong in its 34th year, has played host to some of the stars of Merseyside football in the past and on Tuesday night the standard of football was at its finest and most dramatic.
Two of the special guests on the evening played in the Liverpool Cup as youngsters. Jon Flanagan, introduced to the eight primary school teams before the tournament got under way, lost in the final of the tournament at Anfield when playing for Christ the King in 2005.
Long before that, Ian Callaghan made his first Anfield appearance of many in the Cup. The club's all-time record appearance holder was joined by Reds legends Phil Thompson and Ronnie Moran on the night to present the winners with trophies and congratulate all the participants.
"It's a great opportunity for the youngsters to experience playing here," Flanagan told Liverpoolfc.tv. "They'll be getting such a buzz out of walking on to the turf.
"The tournament is always so well-supported and it's great to see so many people here tonight. I was here with my primary school some years ago and although it didn't end in a win for us, it was a great opportunity to play at Anfield."
The night got underway with St. Monica's running-out 4-0 winners against Lister. Olivia Ball put them ahead before Annabel Procter bagged a fine hat-trick to secure a third place finish for her side.
Then, in the Jack Cross LFC Cup final, Hannah Wilinski netted a brace before Megan Malloy and Faye Edwards struck to seal a 4-1 victory for St. Margaret Mary's against Pleasant Street.
Kishaya Stewart was in fine form for the runners-up while St. Margaret's captain Olivia Finnegan scooped the David Moores trophy for her stand-out performances in the girls' matches.
The boys semi-finals were both thrillers decided by penalty shoot-outs. First Walsingham edged St. Laurence's to secure a place in the final against Sudley Junior School, who came out on top against St. Paschal Baylon.
In the final it was Charles Jolley who made the difference, firing Sudley to a 2-1 win. For his fine performances throughout the evening, Jolley scooped the Ian McGivering trophy, while Sudley's captain Joe Cunningham got his hands on the Liverpool Cup and the Ian Frodsham Memorial trophy.
"It's always a great night at the Liverpool Cup," said European Cup winner Phil Thompson. "I just feel sorry for the kids who have to take the penalties because there's so much pressure on them. But it has to happen or otherwise we'd be here all night.
"The tournament has always had great support from the club. Ronnie Moran is always here and tonight we've had Jon Flanagan and Ian Callaghan as well. It's always a joy to come here and it's been a particularly exciting night tonight with the games we've seen."
Around 2,390 boys and 1,340 girls take part in the competition on a yearly basis and the money raised by the Liverpool Cup has the potential to be re-distributed to thousands of young footballers throughout the region.
Here are some more fantastic epictures of the evening at Anfield:
