Young Reds endure Man United defeat
Jerome Sinclair's sublime strike, on the night Jordon Ibe returned to action for Liverpool, was not enough to prevent the Reds' U21s from suffering a 2-1 loss against rivals Manchester United on Monday.
Ibe played his first minutes since concluding a loan spell at Derby County earlier this month, but it was United who seized the initiative when Nick Powell steered a header beyond Lawrence Vigouroux to open the scoring.
Sinclair intervened, pegging the home side back with a stunning drive on the cusp of half-time; however, shortly after the interval, Liverpool were pieced apart and Patrick McNair grabbed what would prove to be the decisive goal.
The pre-match teamsheet added spice to the occasion before a ball had been kicked as Victor Valdes, the former Barcelona goalkeeper, still to play a game for United's first team, was named between the sticks.
In front of more than 5,000 spectators at Leigh Sports Village, United started sprightly, zipping the ball across the turf. They fielded a back three which included Tyler Blackett, while in front of the defence was 26-year-old Brazilian Anderson, who has faced Liverpool's first team on six occasions down the years.
Ibe, who scored five goals in 24 appearances for Derby during his loan spell, offered flashes of his potential, operating in a No.10 role, flanked by Sheyi Ojo and Sergi Canos, and tucked in behind Jerome Sinclair. He dropped deep to pick up the ball, turned, surged and drove United back.
Cameron Brannagan, Liverpool captain for the game, was his usual diligent self, buzzing around the midfield with the ball under control, sliding Sinclair in on goal, only for the forward to fire straight into the grasp of Valdes.
The first real chance of the game fell to the Reds and to Sergi Canos, who seized upon a stray pass from Blackett to go racing into acres of space in front of goal. However, with no United shirt present to apply pressure, the Spaniard smashed an effort wide of Valdes' post.
At the other end, a huge chance arrived for Powell to open the scoring. Anderson released him with a perfectly weighted pass over the top of the Liverpool defence and the former Crewe Alexandra man had time to steady himself before raking a vicious half-volley wide of Vigouroux's post.
Powell was furious with himself, but the United forward atoned for his miss within minutes. Andreas Pereira whipped a dangerous free-kick into the heart of the penalty area and Powell took advantage of a free header to leap and power the ball into the corner of the net for 1-0.
The game came to life and so too did the ruthless Sinclair, who conjured a moment of inspiration to level on the brink of half-time. Brannagan burst forward, slid the ball into his feet, and the 18-year-old cut inside onto his left to unleash a thunderous drive, which flew past Valdes and into the net.
Liverpool were buoyed by the nature of Sinclair's equaliser and the fact that they reached the interval level - but within minutes of the restart, Beale's side were undone completely by a United team determined to dominate.
Saidy Janko, the full-back, bustled his way through a swathe of yellow shirts, turned on the edge of the Liverpool penalty area and slipped a short pass into the path of McNair, the centre-back, who drove the ball low, diagonally beyond the reach of Vigouroux.
United piled the pressure on. Jesse Lingard sent two shots at goal in quick succession - the first of which came from a much more dangerous position inside the penalty area, but the United man's effort was sliced well over the crossbar.
An element of urgency drained from the game, but United remained the side in control, edging the battle for dominance in the centre of the park. Anderson swerved low, but straight at the 'keeper, while at the other end, Brannagan fired narrowly over the bar.
Madger Gomes came on to make his debut for the U21s, with Ryan McLaughlin making way, but Liverpool were unable to get their key players on the ball often enough, as the likes of Canos, Ibe, Sinclair and Ojo were nullified by the opposition.
With the clock ticking down, Brannagan managed to prise open the United defence with a delicate flick, but his pass was just too heavy for Sinclair and Valdes came to collect. Then, with eight minutes remaining, Ibe tricked his way into space only to hammer over the crossbar and, in the end, Beale's side were unable to level the scores.