Match Report
Kieran Morrison’s second-half double gave Liverpool U18s a 2-1 comeback victory away at Sunderland on Saturday afternoon.
On their second trip to the north east this week, following a 4-3 defeat by Newcastle United on Tuesday night, Marc Bridge-Wilkinson’s young Reds dug in to take three points at the Academy of Light.
The hosts started brightly in the U18 Premier League North contest, with Kornel Misciur making saves from Aaron Chung, Cuba Mitchell and Archie Lightfoot.
Liverpool weren’t troubling their opponents at the other end and, indeed, again needed Misciur to make quickfire stops to keep out Finn Geragusian and Rhys Walsh.
Walsh then hit the post as Sunderland’s pressure continued – and it bore fruit for the home team with 39 minutes on the clock. From a corner kick into the area, Walsh was finally able to beat Misciur from close range.
The Reds’ comeback began swiftly when the sides returned from the interval.
In fact, within two minutes of the restart Morrison hauled the visitors level, finding the bottom left corner after being teed up by Schofield Lonmeni.
Geragusian and Lonmeni were denied at either end as both sides pushed for a decisive moment, which came from Liverpool – and Morrison again – in minute 81.
The captain snatched victory for his team with a free-kick that he dispatched into the bottom left corner, his 11th league goal of the campaign.
TEAM
Liverpool U18s: Misciur (Morana, 59), Pitt, Evers, Furnell-Gill, Lucky (Airoboma, 65), K. Kelly (Lipton, 46), Young (O’Connor, 46), Lonmeni, Sonni-Lambie, Morrison, Bradshaw (Martin, 76).
NEXT UP
The U18s are back in action next Saturday (April 27) with a home fixture against Wolverhampton Wanderers, their penultimate league match of 2023-24.
Kick-off at the Kirkby Academy is 12pm BST.
