Liverpool under-18s missed out on the opportunity to move fifth in the league after ending on the wrong side of a seven-goal thriller versus Derby County on Tuesday evening.
Beaten 5-2 in a thrilling contest between the two sides, Marc Bridge-Wilkinson’s side had got off to a dream start after effective pressing from Lewis Koumas led to the forward punishing a defensive error.
The hosts were level shortly before the half-hour mark, however, after Cameron Ashia carried the ball forward and into the Reds’ penalty area before being brought to ground by Josh Davidson. Ashia made no mistake from the spot, getting his side back on level terms.
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Liverpool would have an opportunity of their own to convert from 12-yards when Elijah Gift was fouled by Luke Banks, though Derby goalkeeper Jack Thompson guessed the right way to keep out Jayden Danns’ effort.
Derby then punished this penalty miss as Billy Gough’s surging run down the left flank led to Lennon Wheeldon drilling past Luke Hewitson in the Liverpool goal to take a 2-1 lead.
Things got worse for the travelling Reds shortly after the restart as the Rams again made ground on the left wing, this time through Farren Simons, with Wheeldon again on hand to convert the goalscoring opportunity.
With the score now at 3-1, Liverpool minds may well have turned back to the previous meeting between the teams in February. A late fightback saw Bridge-Wilkinson’s group rally to make it 3-3 in Kirkby, and this spirit was again on show as the Reds pulled one back to reduce the deficit at Moor Farm.
Guilty of a shove on the back of Gift, Callum Moore was penalised by the referee and Liverpool made no mistake from the penalty spot on this occasion. Taking responsibility was midfielder James McConnell, who fired down the middle of the goal for his fifth goal of the season.
A second spot-kick appeal arose moments later after Gift, causing havoc in the final third, appeared to be tripped by Banks. This time the decision did not go Liverpool’s way, though they continued to push for an equaliser.
Substitute Keyrol Figueroa first sent an ambitious effort over the bar before calling Thompson into action, having engineered space to shoot courtesy of a mazy run into the box. Bridge-Wilkinson rolled the dice with the late introduction of Iwan Roberts introduced in place of Kyle Kelly with five minutes remaining, but it was Derby who found the late goals to make sure of the three points.
A free-kick conceded by Gift led to the Rams sending a dangerous ball into the area, which Hewitson came to claim and missed. Wheeldon, first to the ball, headed past the Liverpool goalkeeper and into an empty net for his hat-trick.
Adding to the Reds’ woes in the 95th minute, a defensive mix-up between Davidson and Pinnington enabled Ashia to unleash a powerful shot into the top left corner.
Liverpool XI: Hewitson, Gyimah (Onanuga 37’), Pinnington, Samuels, Davidson, Kelly (Roberts 86’), Miles, McConnell, Danns (Figueroa 48’), Koumas, Gift.
Unused subs: Pitt, Trueman.
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