U18s hit five to keep Youth Cup quest alive
Liverpool U18s continued their campaign for FA Youth Cup glory by clinching an impressive 5-2 victory over Derby County at the Deva Stadium on Wednesday night.
Jerome Sinclair and Harry Wilson both netted twice, while Sergi Canos chipped in with a calm finish to earn Neil Critchley's side a place in the fifth round of the tournament.
The young Reds can now look forward to a home clash with Birmingham City after weathering an early storm against the Rams to run out comfortable winners.
It took the Reds five minutes to break the deadlock. Wilson hooked a clever free-kick towards goal, which beat Eric Behrens, the opposition goalkeeper, and deflected off the post into the path of Sinclair, who was left to apply the simplest of finishes from close range.
It was first blood to Liverpool, but Derby were undeterred and their pressure forced the Reds into an error at the back which allowed Charles Vernam, the Rams' ruthless No.9, the chance to seize possession and drill a low effort past Andrew Firth to equalise.
The players were following the pre-match script. This fixture yielded a breath-taking 5-5 stand-off in the league back in November - and here, in the bitter January cold, both sides looked set to trade blows incessantly, back and forth, once again.
And then chaos ensued.
Derby, flowing forward, played through Liverpool's defensive ranks like water through a sieve; a flurry of flicks releasing Mo Adams, who slipped the ball sideways to Vernam and he stood poised with the goal at his mercy.
In raking his shot beyond Firth and across the face of goal, the Derby man afforded Pedro Chirivella time and opportunity to hurl his body into the ball's path and block the shot on the line. But the pandemonium was just getting started.
Adams, the instigator, went tumbling to the floor as he vied with Firth for the free ball and the referee cut through the melee by penalising the Liverpool 'keeper and signalling a penalty for Derby.
Firth was furious, bellowing his distaste - but he had to regain composure, and fast. That Firth was able to do so was vital for the outcome of the game, as when Vernam drove the penalty goalwards, the Liverpool man was there to keep the ball out.
The wealth of attacking talent at Critchley's disposal had been largely subdued, but the likes of Sheyi Ojo, Sinclair, Wilson and Canos were about to spring to life in impressive fashion.
Ojo, who turns even the most capable of defenders to stone with an injection of raw pace, had been kept quiet, but he soon intervened, firing a warning shot by galloping the flank and squaring to Canos, who was denied.
No break-through there, but Ojo sensed weakness - and it took him a mere matter of minutes to exploit it. On and on down the flank he powered, head held high in order to seek that flicker of movement and place the perfect pass.
Sinclair provided it, pulling away from his marker towards the back post and Ojo supplied the cross for his teammate to chest into the back of the net and make it 2-1.
At the other end, Derby refused to lie down. Tom Brewitt was ambushed by Alex Babos, who surged towards goal, stopped, swivelled and fed the ball into Tom Mellors, whose shot was blocked brilliantly by Sam Hart as he arrived on the line to clear to safety.
Critchley had called for defensive solidity prior to kick-off. He had asked his players to be more rigid and composed - and after the interval, the Reds stifled their opponents much more efficiently than they had done throughout the first half. In doing so, they took control.
Wilson took control. Talent like his simply cannot be suppressed. The Welshman picked the ball up and left a trail of Derby players dazed in his wake before he was sent crashing to the floor on the edge of the box and the referee signalled a free-kick.
Up stepped Wilson, clinical as ever, to sweep up and over the wall and send a strike dipping beyond the 'keeper to hand Liverpool a two-goal cushion.
The Reds secured a fourth goal in style. Sinclair surged forward, sending Derby defenders back-peddling and thus opening up the space for Canos, who composed himself before rifling home his 16th goal of the campaign.
Then, in the 88th minute, Wilson went slaloming into the box, where he was brought down - and the youngster had one thing on his mind. He grabbed the ball, spotted it and struck low into the left corner to clinch Liverpool's fifth.
There was just enough time in this thoroughly entertaining game for the young Rams to pull one back via the spot. Sinclair was penalised for a foul and Vernam struck a sweet low effort beyond Firth, meaning the tie finished 5-2 in the Reds' favour.
Liverpool U18s: Firth, Whelan, Hart, Philips (Alexander), Brewitt, Chirivella, Canos (Madger Gomes), Ejaria (Lewis), Sinclair, Wilson, Ojo. Unused substitutes: Rutter, Maxwell.