U21s stun Norwich with late treble
Liverpool were in devastating form as they hit three goals in four minutes to demolish Norwich City at Anfield and climb to the Barclays U21 Premier League summit with a 4-1 win.
Alex Inglethorpe's side took the lead mid-way through the first half thanks to Jordan Williams; however, they were pegged back when Josh Murphy's strike deflected off Lloyd Jones.
A tense battle ensued, with both sides trading blows, until the young Reds exploded into life in front of the Kop with little more than 10 minutes remaining.
Jack Dunn edged them ahead, before the lively Kristoffer Peterson bagged a deserved, quick-fire brace - and by the 83rd minute, the game was effectively over.
Liverpool took control of this match early on; passing, probing, linking neatly across the pristine Anfield pitch - but not before a glaring miss from Norwich sent alarm bells ringing.
A curling free-kick was whipped towards the penalty spot, glanced to the far post for Reece Hall-Johnson to guide home, unmarked, but the youngster nodded wide.
Inglethorpe's side steadied the ship from there, stamping their authority on the game. Cameron Brannagan buzzed in the No.10 role as Jordan Rossiter roamed around the centre circle, distributing one way and then the other.
Joao Carlos Teixeira joined in, too, and it all culminated in Peterson smashing the underside of the crossbar.
Brannagan picked up play from Rossiter, who made it his mission to have possession in constant supply, before slipping a weighted pass into the path of Peterson. The winger from Gothenberg then arrowed onto the woodwork as spectators gathered on the Kop roared their approval.
The fans were on their feet again in the 23rd minute - but this time they were toasting a breakthrough, as Williams smashed the deadlock in style with a fine long-range strike.
Dunn and Teixeira dovetailed neatly on the half-way line before the Portuguese emerged with the ball at his feet, released Williams, who drew three yellow shirts before driving low into the corner of the net.
From there, the sides went at each other up until half-time. Teixeira's scheming had Norwich in disarray; Dunn's drive was palmed clear by Remi Matthews and Brad Smith hammered the rebound across the face of goal.
At the Kop, Elliott Bennett produced a sublime curling cross, which evaded everyone in the penalty area but Liverpool's Connor Randall, who deflected the ball onto the post before clearing the danger.
At the Anfield Road end, Peterson slalomed in from the flank and clipped the post from a narrow angle before Dunn broke clear and curled wide with the goal at his mercy.
With Martin Skrtel watching from the stands, centre-back Rafa Paez hurtled into the penalty area to connect with a cross and hammer a header inches over the bar, six minutes after the restart.
Murphy and then Ben Wyatt both fired warnings for the young Canaries before a wicked deflection from the former's driven strike levelled proceedings, ricocheting off Jones on the way into the net for 1-1.
Fulton saved a dipping effort from Bennett before Rossiter sped forwards and found Dunn out to the right in space, but the young Scouser's low strike was smothered by Matthews.
Pandemonium ensued in the Norwich penalty area when Brannagan's corner found Paez. The Spaniard's effort was cleared as far as Rossiter, who clipped an exquisite pass over the defence for the move's instigator, Brannagan, but he was offside.
Williams hunted down possession in the middle and fed Peterson, whose trickery allowed him to glide clear of one challenge, but the Swede couldn't find Dunn with a clipped cross and the 'keeper collected.
It didn't work first time, but moments later the duo combined to devastating effect. Peterson sliced the Norwich defence open with a low through ball and Dunn was onto it in a flash to round the 'keeper and roll home for 2-1.
A minute later they had another. Rossiter floated a superb pass into Peterson, who, with his back to goal, chested it down before rifling home on the turn to prompt ecstatic celebrations from the young Reds.
And then it was four. Substitute Jordan Lussey burst to the by-line, spotted the run of Peterson, picked him out unmarked in the penalty area and the youngster was unflappable as he drove unerringly beyond the 'keeper to cap a whirlwind four minutes and an impressive 4-1 win.
Liverpool U21s: Fulton, Randall (Maguire), Smith, Paez, Jones, Rossiter, Peterson, Williams, Brannagan (Baio), Teixeira (Lussey), Dunn.