Liverpool’s Under-21 side were left hugely frustrated last night after throwing away a three goal lead against neighbours Everton in the match dubbed the mini-Merseyside derby.
The Reds cruised through the first-half and found the net through Harry Wilson, Joao Carlos Teixeira and Sergi Canos. Indeed, it could have been four or five by half-time, with Jack Dunn also hitting the post and Everton defender Matthew Pennington making an outrageous goal line clearance to deny Teixeira.
However, the Toffees crucially got themselves on the scoresheet shortly before the break, when Joe Williams’ deflected shot beat Ryan Fulton. His goal would prove crucial, as it gave our rivals the confidence to complete the fightback in the second-half through Conor McAleny and Tom Davies.
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Despite the disappointing result, there were still plenty of positives for Reds manager Michael Beale to take, including the performances of the three players in the list below.
These were our standout performers:
3) Jordan Rossiter
The midfielder really put himself about and did a lot of good work last night. He would always track back and help out the defenders, while equally pushing forward to join in the attacks where possible – very much in the Jordan Henderson mould.
He’s not got the height or strength of someone like Henderson, but his work-rate is equally impressive. It’s easy to see the similarities between Rossiter and former academy graduate Jay Spearing, who played 30 times for us in the Premier League before moving into the Championship with Bolton and Blackburn.
Rossiter is still only 18 though, and has time to continue improving, and it’s unlikely many Liverpool fans would loathe seeing him get his chance in the Europa League or the League Cup, particularly as we’re arguably still a body short in central midfield.
His development was slowed last season by an injury, which ruled him out of much of the second-half of the campaign, but he did okay on our pre-season tour of the Far East and will be hoping to build on that over the next twelve months.
