Wilson strike gives U19s win over Real
Harry Wilson side-footed home a late winner to earn Liverpool U19s a superb 3-2 victory over Real Madrid after a thrilling UEFA Youth League tie at Langtree Park on Wednesday afternoon.
The young Reds had produced a blistering first-half display to rack up an advantage through Cameron Brannagan's driven opener and Tom Brewitt's simple tap-in.
But the home side were pegged back in a top-class Group B meeting by responses from Philipp Lienhart and Borja Sanchez in the second half as the Spanish heavyweights rallied considerably.
The final say was Wilson's, however, providing more evidence of his composure in front of goal to hit the target with two minutes remaining on the clock and secure maximum points for Liverpool.
A frantic opening to the encounter in St Helens, with both teams keen to make an early impression and establish dominance over the other, made way for a pair of quick-fire opportunities for the Reds either side of the 10-minute mark.
Firstly, Ryan Kent whipped a dangerous free-kick from wide on the left flank toward the near post - wide. Breaking forward from the opposite side, Wilson then dispatched a swerving strike from distance that found the same location, having been played in by Jordan Rossiter.
But on the quarter-hour, the breakthrough that the hosts deserved did arrive. A loose bobble broke to Wilson, who shot against the post, and Jerome Sinclair fought to keep the chance alive, allowing Brannagan to stride in and pummel into the left corner.
Five minutes later, the woodwork again thwarted Wilson but fortune smiled on the Reds. The Welshman's curled free-kick was an inch away from perfection, bouncing off the post into the path of Brewitt to convert from mere yards out.
Wilson was relentless and Real couldn't cope with him. He should have grabbed a third when a slack pass along the halfway line presented the winger with open space to surge into. Goalkeeper David Oliveros palmed away the finish, though, and Sinclair's follow-up was cleared off the line.
Although naturally stunned by the onslaught, the Spaniards retained a threat and a rash, high challenge by Adam Phillips on Cristian Cedres forced the referee to award a penalty. In keeping with their afternoon, however, Borja Mayoral stumbled on approach and sliced a horrible spot-kick high over the crossbar.
You could not look away from this thrilling contest for a second, and Aleix Febas served another warning to Liverpool's position when he scooped up possession from a corner-kick delivery and thundered an attempt off the goalframe.
In terms of mentality, it was a totally different Real that emerged for the second period, turning the tables by using the same methods that had proven so fruitful for Neil Critchley's team before the interval.
They had reduced the deficit within eight minutes of the restart. An attack on the right channel brought Alvaro Tejero freedom to pick out a precise cross and Lienhart gratefully accepted the invitation to head over Ryan Fulton and home with the help of the crossbar.
Seeking to make amends for his earlier miss from 12 yards, Mayoral shaped a worrying curler from a central position that carried off target to the right, but the visitors were nevertheless soon on terms.
With 67 minutes on the clock, substitute Sanchez drove forward, orchestrated a slick one-two with Jack Harper and burst into Liverpool territory. An instant thrash of his right boot sent the ball flying into the far corner, flicking the post en route.
Neither outfit settled for the scoreline, committing a wave of players forward in either direction, and it was the hosts who made the final decisive contribution when Wilson calmly took Rossiter's pass in his stride and struck low into the corner for 3-2 and a memorable win.
U19s team: Fulton, Whelan, Maguire, Cleary, Brewitt, Rossiter, Wilson, Phillips (Canos), Sinclair, Brannagan, Kent (Ejaria). Unused substitutes: Firth, O'Hanlon, Marsh, Alexander, Lewis.