Everton under 18s encountered their first loss of the season in a 4 – 0 loss to Liverpool in the Saturday morning kick off.
In a cagey opening ten minutes, neither side was able to mount any real attack or hold on to possession as both sides pressed the ball well in the opening exchanges with Liverpool forced into a number of blocks in their penalty area to stay on level terms.
The game turned after a strong run on 11 minutes from full back Thierry Small, but he failed to break the deadlock and moments later the visitors had the lead.
A scramble inside Everton’s area saw the ball find Liverpool’s number 11 Melkamu Frauendorf, who neatly tucked the ball away into the right-hand corner.
Just two minutes later the hosts were further punished. A quick Liverpool break saw Layton Stewart deliver a low cross from the left-hand side of the area and a cruel deflection off Blue’s defender Reece Welch found the back of the net.
Everton rallied and their best chance of the half came ten minutes later. Another driving run from Small and subsequent chip to the back post allowed Lewis Warrington a free header on goal, but the midfielder directed the ball straight into the keeper’s hands, keeping the deficit at two.
Liverpool had their third on 40 minutes when an attempted cross from Lee Jonas inside the area fortuitously drifted over everyone and into the far right hand corner of the goal.
Within five minutes the game was effectively over as a contest and Liverpool had their fourth. A low ball in from Sean Wilson on the right hand side was controlled nicely by Max Woltman, whose jinking run took him past the Everton backline as he slotted the ball past Zan-Luk Leban in the Everton net.
The second half was a much more evenly contested with chances at a premium.
The Blues arguably had the best chance of the half, when a clever chipped through ball from centre half Sebastian Kristensen, sent Lewis Dobbin in on goal, but his attempt was tipped onto the post by Red’s keeper Jakub Ojrynski.
That was the last real chance in the game as both sides were more rigid defensively for the final half hour of the game and the Blues unusually toothless in their attacks.
The result brings Everton’s unbeaten run in the league to an end, as they look to build again in their next encounter away to Middlesbrough on Saturday the 31st.
