Jack Wilshere was delighted with the character his team showed to keep staying ahead in Wednesday’s 5-3 win away to Liverpool.
The home side came from 3-0 down to make the score 3-2, but we went 4-2 up, before conceding again, and then putting the game to bed.
“I thought you saw two teams that were really aggressive with what we were trying to do,” Jack said. “They started better than us. When we came here last year, they taught us a lesson a bit, so we started the game with a little bit of that in mind but understanding that we’re playing against a good team that defend well together.
“Once we found our rhythm in the first half, we hurt them and we were clinical. Goals change games, right? You saw that in the second half.
“We conceded a penalty, which changed our half-time team talk and our mentality going into the second half. We spoke about the importance of the next goal and they got it, so I’m happy with the way our players managed that situation because it’s not easy.
“When you’re 3-1 up or 2-0, it’s a very difficult score in football, especially with young players because they feel like they’re in control and comfortable. We responded every time really well and showed a lot of character and courage.
“When you play against Liverpool you expect it to be high pace. They’re going to be intense and press you hard and we managed that well. Once we beat that first line of the press, we could hurt them. We kept that mentality, even if they scored, and in the end we deserved to win.”
It’s been a positive start to the season for the under-18s, who have won three games out of three across the league and cup competitions.
“We can always improve,” Jack said. “We conceded three set plays today. We have to look at that, but we’ve been improving each game. We weren’t at our best against West Ham but found a way to win. Against Chelsea we were better and could’ve killed the game.
“In possession, it was our best performance today, but we really increase the training levels and intensity and I’m so glad the players are etting the rewards. Even when they’re tired, we’ve added players who’ve made us better. There’s no comfort zone.
“This is just another step for us. We want to show everyone the quality we have in our academy but also the determination and fight we have to compete with the best teams.”
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