Maxwell strikes as U18s edge Leicester

Neil Critchley's charges were by far the better side throughout the first half and they made their dominance count by opening up a two-goal lead thanks to brilliant goals from Ovie Ejaria and Callum Nicholas.

However, Leicester were resurgent after the interval and they battled back, scoring from two set-pieces courtesy of Keenan King and Josh Knight, to haul themselves level at 2-2.

The young Reds were undeterred, though, and they clinched a winner when Maxwell nicked the play away from Max Bramley, the opposition goalkeeper, and rolled the ball calmly into an empty net.

Liverpool flew out of the blocks in the crisp Kirkby sunshine and they drilled the ball along the turf with precision - a balance to their play evident from the first kick.

One player held it all together, dominating proceedings from the start. Ejaria was the reference point for the Reds. He twirled away from players with elegant poise and swanned effortlessly into space; a joy to watch. His opening goal was nothing short of breathtaking.

With six minutes on the clock he shuddered into a tackle on the edge of the box, poked the ball between the legs of one man; feinted past the next marker, leaving him floored, before dragging away from a third Leicester defender and sweeping a shot into the corner of Bramley's goal.

Ejaria never once looked flustered and yet he managed to go hurtling into challenges with all the necessary aggression to stamp his authority on the game. He faced stiff competition from Hamza Choudhury, too, but he was not to be reined in. No-one was going to rush him here.

Around Ejaria was a young, inexperienced but confident Liverpool side, organised well by Critchley and his staff, with the likes of Nicholas and Yan Dhanda scheming in behind the fit-again Will Marsh, who was always on the move up front.  

Leicester's Choudhury, tall and imposing, helped carve his side's first sight of goal when he rose to cushion a fine pass over the top for King, who raced clear and arrowed towards the far corner, but Shamal George pulled off a smart save to palm clear.

Liverpool then scored a wonderful second. Dhanda drifted into yards of space, looked up, lofted a precise pass with the outside of his foot over the top to where Nicholas was sprinting through. His finish was exquisite, delaying and delaying before poking beyond Bramley for 2-0.  

George Johnston, operating as part of a back three for the Reds, made a terrific tackle just prior to the interval to halt Choudhury after the Leicester man charged through a wall of red shirts and was about to pull the trigger.

The second half started in the same vein as the first ended, in that Leicester were pressing, Liverpool were containing and Johnston was dusting himself down having made another vital block from close range, this time from King.

But King was starting to cause problems, racing clear of the Reds' backline and bearing down on goal, only for Kristof Polgar to tip the ball behind for a corner. From the resulting flag-kick, King attacked the near post with purpose and power to head beyond George and pull a goal back.

Leicester applied pressure, turning the screw before pulling level from another set-piece. George came racing out to claim the cross and pushed the ball clear, but only as far as Knight, who looped a header over a cluster of shirts and into the net for 2-2.

Critchley's side were still fighting, however, and they sprung away at the other end with Dhanda leading the charge. The youngster might have gone for goal himself; however, unselfishly, he looked for substitute Maxwell, only to put too much power on the pass.

Liverpool kept coming forward, though. In the 83rd minute, Harvey Whyte spun a stunning pass over the top and into the path of Maxwell, who poked the ball clear of the onrushing Bramley and rolled his shot into the back of an open net to the sheer joy of his teammates.

The Reds' goalkeeper, George, kept them in the game from there, diving instinctively to block from Darnell Johnson and staying strong in control of his penalty area to ensure a hard-earned victory was secured.

Liverpool U18s: George, Virtue, Johnston, Parker, Polgar, Alexander-Arnold, Nicholas, Whyte, Marsh (Maxwell), Ejaria (Kane), Dhanda. Unused substitutes: Wheeler, Sheron, Owens.