WHAT HAPPENED
Our FA Youth Cup journey came to an end in the quarter-finals on Friday night as we were beaten 3-1 by Liverpool.
Ken Gillard was forced into one change from our 3-1 victory over West Ham in the previous round - with Nathan Butler-Oyedeji replacing Omari Hutchinson - but we were unable to replicate that same attacking intensity at Anfield.
We dominated possession throughout the opening exchanges and came close through Kido Taylor-Hart, who cut inside from the left and fired over the bar, but Liverpool went on to open the scoring against the run of play.
With their first spell of pressure on our backline, Conor Bradley crossed to the far post and James Balagazi headed down, before Max Waltman converted from close range.
This boosted the hosts’ confidence and after forcing a goalmouth scramble, Miguel Azeez attempted to clear the danger and inadvertently tripped Tyler Morton, who snuck past his right shoulder to gain a vital touch of the ball. James Norris stepped up and full converted from 12 yards.
Things went from bad to worse following the restart too, as Liverpool extended their advantage through Mateusz Musialowski. The youngster raced forward on the counter and wriggled past Alex Kirk inside the area, before firing back across goal into the far corner.
Miguel Azeez eventually pulled one back from the spot, firing into the top corner after Khayon Edwards was fouled inside the area, but despite our best efforts, it proved to be nothing more than a consolation goal.
WHAT’S NEXT
Up next, we’ll face Reading in the U-18 Premier League south.
The game will take place on Tuesday, May 4 with kick-off at 6.45pm (UK time).
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