Liverpool saw their hopes of creating UEFA Youth League history dashed as they were dumped out of the competition by Juventus.
The Reds were beaten 2-0 by the Italian side in their quarter-final tie at the Juventus Training Centre in Vinovo in Italy on Tuesday afternoon.
After a closely-fought first half, the home side began to exert control and scored twice inside three second-half minutes to prevent Liverpool reaching the semi-finals for the first time.
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Before the game, the visitors paid tribute to the victims of the 1985 Heysel disaster when Academy manager Alex Inglethorpe handed over a wreath to Gianluca Pessotto, Juventus’ staff co-ordination manager, bearing the message ‘In Memoria e Amicizia’ - ‘In Memory and Friendship’.
Liverpool were without a number of key attacking players including Kaide Gordon, Harvey Blair, Mateusz Musialowski and Melkamu Fraudendorf, and their absence told as Marc Bridge-Wilkinson's side struggled to create chances.
Juventus started strongly with Liverpool goalkeeper Fabian Mrozek making a smart save at his near post to deny Matias Soule. And the Reds were fortunate to escape when Mrozek and Billy Koumetio went for the same ball as Juventus looked to get in behind with Owen Beck clearing up the danger.
Liverpool, though, began to probe, and after Tyler Morton swiped at one effort from a corner and Conor Bradley saw a fierce shot hit his own team-mate, Isaac Mabaya fired into the side-netting after being released down the right by Bradley.
The Reds were dealt a significant blow on 25 minutes when Mrozek was forced off with a foot injury sustained in the collision with Koumetio and was replaced by UEFA Youth League debutant Luke Hewitson.
Hewitson's first action of note was to save a free-kick from Soule, who then fired over from a good position. The goalkeeper also denied Ange Chibozo before the break while Gabriele Mulazzi headed wide and Andrea Bonetti fired over with a volley.
Morton clipped a shot over and Oakley Cannonier had a shot on the turn blocked as Liverpool started the second half brightly, only for Juventus to gradually crank up the pressure.
Fabio Miretti slashed wide, Soule was narrowly wide and Chibozo somehow missed from a matter of yards before the home side finally made the breakthrough on 66 minutes, Soule backheeling into the path of Miretti to fire into the bottom corner from the edge of the area.
And Liverpool's fate was sealed three minutes later when, from a break down the right, Mulazzi fed Chibozo who struck a low shot beyond Hewitson.
Liverpool are next in action when they travel to Derby County in the U18 Premier League North on Saturday (kick-off 12.30pm).
LIVERPOOL U19s: Mrozek (Hewitson 25); Bradley, Quansah, Koumetio, Beck (Jonas 76); Morton, Corness, Norris; Mabaya, Cannonier (Balagizi 76), Woltman. Subs: Scanlon, Clark, McConnell, Pilling. BOOKED: Norris.
