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.
2) Harry Wilson
Wilson was excellent last night, particularly during the first-half, when he constantly had the beating of the Everton full-back. The first goal was all about his quality, as he got the better of Everton’s new signing – Mason Holgate – after cutting in off the left-hand side and winning a penalty, which he himself converted.
There were several other examples of his pace and skill down the flank over the course of the game and at times he appeared to be skipping past his marker as if he wasn’t there, with the Everton players sadly resorting to some pretty underhand tactics to bring him down and stop his flow.
The 18-year-old, who became Wales’ youngest ever player when he made his international debut back in 2013, is surely overdue a chance in the first-team. He was selected for our pre-season tour of the Far East but sadly didn’t feature in any of the games, and was instead an unused substitute.
With the Reds short on natural wide options, particularly on the left, it’s easy to see where Wilson could potentially be of use – especially in some of the so-called lesser competitions. He’ll be aiming to follow in the footsteps of Jordon Ibe, who’s made a similar rise over the last couple of years.
1) Joao Carlos Teixeira
We’re all hoping that the Portuguese gets his chance in the first-team this season. The 22-year-old looked a class above those around him and against him during last night’s game, with his immense quality on the ball perfectly demonstrated by a wonderful solo goal – as he jinxed past a couple of defenders before finding the bottom corner.
Teixeira’s certainly running out of time if he’s going to make it at Liverpool. For a player of his age, it’s easy to say that he should be further along with his development, but there’s every chance that – due to his previous injury problems – that he could be a late bloomer, and this game was another indication of that.
He was our Academy Player of the Year last season following a successful campaign on loan at Championship club Brighton and that, in addition to his performances on our pre-season tour of the Far East, will hopefully have earned him at least a couple of chances in the Europa League this year.
Unfortunately, he faces a battle to force his way into Brendan Rodgers’ plans due to the wealth of players ahead of him in the pecking order, but with one Premier League appearance already under his belt – against Fulham more than twelve months ago – there is still hope of a second at some stage this season.
