Oakley Cannonier scored his 25th goal of the season while Harvey Blair registered a goal and an assist as Liverpool Under-18s bounced back from their FA Youth Cup heartbreak with an emphatic win over Burnley on Saturday.
Goals from the duo, Isaac Mabaya and Melkamu Frauendorf saw the young Reds storm to a 4-1 victory over the Clarets at the Liverpool Academy.
Despite making his senior debut against Preston back in October, Blair’s season has been disrupted by injury for the majority, yet he was able to provide a welcome reminder of his talents after handing Marc Bridge-Wilkinson’s side an early lead courtesy of a stunning individual effort.
The young winger turned a defender as he burst down the left-hand side before working his way into the box, beating another man and firing home an unstoppable strike off the underside of the crossbar.
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Cannonier restored the young Reds’ lead shortly after the break, flicking home after Calum Scanlon's cross was deflected kindly into his path.
Blair was a constant thorn in the Burnley defence throughout and he turned provider late on to set up Mabaya, whipping in a teasing low cross for his team-mate to finish.
And Frauendorf, who featured for Jurgen Klopp ’s side against Shrewsbury Town in the FA Cup last month, wrapped up the scores in stoppage-time with a low finish after Bobby Clark’s pass deflected into his path.
Sean Etoluku levelled the scores in first-half injury time, cutting inside and curling home with his left foot, but Burnley had no response for Liverpool after the interval.
The former Newcastle man had been pictured training with the first team at the AXA Training Centre on Friday but his involvement for the full 90 minutes against Burnley, along with the likes of Blair and Frauendorf, suggested their services will not be required against Cardiff City on Sunday.
Liverpool had been forced to name a young side in the previous round against Shrewsbury following a Covid-19 outbreak forced them to cancel training, postpone their League Cup semi-final with Arsenal and close their training ground.
However, with Luis Diaz joining the club last month, Naby Keita back from the Africa Cup of Nations and the likes of Harvey Elliott, Thiago Alcanatra and Divock Origi back in training after injury, Klopp is likely to name a more senior side in the FA Cup fourth round.
Liverpool XI: Davies; Mabaya, McLaughlin-Miles, Chambers, Scanlon; McConnell, Piling, Clark; Frauendorf, Cannonier, Blair.
Unused subs: Omoruyi, Hewitson, Davidson.
