Liverpool FC Forum

by **account deleted by request** » Thu Feb 14, 2008 3:28 am

Liverpool's hopes of retaining the FA Youth Cup are over after Sunderland clinched a dramatic extra-time victory in a pulsating fifth round tie at the Stadium of Light.
A stunning hat-trick from Martyn Waghorn - with two goals proving decisive - secured an extraordinary 5-3 win for the Black Cats after Hughie McAuley's men had twice fought back to send the match into extra-time.

The Reds had looked dead and buried at the interval after two first-half goals from Joe Cornforth and Jordan Cook looked like being enough to dump the three-times winners out of the competition.

But a penalty from Nathan Eccleston and a well-taken goal from Marvin Pourie within three minutes of the restart dragged them level to complete a remarkable comeback.

However, the match swayed the way of Sunderland again 18 minutes from normal time when Waghorn capitalised on a Liverpool error to fire the Black Cats 3-2 up - only for Daniel Pacheco to take the contest beyond 90 minutes with a smart finish on 81 minutes.

McAuley's team battled admirably throughout the remainder of the contest but were undone by Sunderland's Waghorn, a midfielder with first-team experience, when he smashed home a 20-yard volley worthy of winning any match on 104 minutes before completing his hat-trick with a cool finish five minutes from the end.

The Reds, who took to the field in their unfamiliar black and white away strip, went into the clash on the back of a superb win over the competition's favourites, Arsenal, in round four, but struggled to settle into their usual passing rhythm early on as Sunderland dominated possession.

The hosts were first to every ball and after a few speculative efforts from distance they deservedly took the lead on 21 minutes.

A period of sustained pressure saw Kevin Ball's men work the ball well down the left and when Nathan Luscombe sent a devilish ball to the far post, defender Joe Cornforth was on hand to head the ball in from a tight angle.

It was a goal that was met by jubilant celebrations from the home crowd and they were on their feet applauding once more just six minutes later as the Black Cats doubled their advantage.

An incisive pass from Martyn Waghorn found Jordan Cook just outside the area and after the midfielder danced beyond the challenges of three Liverpool defenders he unleashed a delightful strike from the edge of the area that left Dean Bouzanis with no chance.

Faced with an uphill battle the visitors struggled to respond and, in truth, they could have been out of it at the interval but for some superb goalkeeping from Bouzanis to keep out both Nathan Luscombe and Jordan Henderson. Meanwhile, a tremendous last-ditch challenge from Joe Kennedy denied Waghorn after the Sunderland man looked all set to make it three.

It said it all that Liverpool's first shot of the game didn't arrive until the 36th minute when Marvin Pourie turned well and fired in a powerful strike from 20 yards that was easily smothered by Dan Staples in the home side's goal.

And the Reds' first-half was summed up on 44 minutes when captain Steven Irwin was booked for kicking the ball away in frustration.

But anyone familiar with the under-18s this season will know they never give up without a fight and after some inspiring words from Hughie McAuley at half-time they set about Sunderland with a renewed hunger to succeed.

Within three minutes of the restart they were handed a lifeline when Nathan Eccleston was brought down by goalkeeper Staples in the penalty area after he was sent clear by Daniel Pacheco.

The side's leading scorer had notched from the spot on his reserve team debut at Bolton last week and he didn't disappoint on this occasion either, taking his personal tally for the season to 18 with a composed finish from 12 yards.

The visitors looked like a completely different team and it was no surprise when they completed their very-own Istanbul-style comeback on 51 minutes as German striker Pourie latched onto a controlled throughball from Eccleston to slip the ball beyond Staples and into the far corner of the net.

It could have got even better for the away side on the hour mark as the lively Eccleston played a delightful one-two with Pourie, only to see his low shot well saved by Staples.

Both sides committed men forward in an attempt to secure what would surely be the winning goal and unfortunately for Liverpool it was the home side who scored it on 72 minutes.

A mistake at the heart of the Reds defence by big Joe Kennedy let Waghorn in and he surged into the area before slipping his effort beyond the advancing Bouzanis. Three-two down with time running out - surely that would be it? Game over?

Daniel Pacheco had other ideas. With just nine minutes remaining the diminutive Spaniard sprinted onto Pourie's defence splitting pass and clipped a great shot past Staples to make it 3-3 and send a superb cup tie into extra-time.

With both sides tiring the players could be forgiven for a lack of composure and Cornforth could have had his second of the game on 93 minutes but he somehow hammered the ball over the bar after a free-kick from the left had ricocheted into his path in the six yard box.

But there was no sign of tiredness from Waghorn who won the match with his second and third goals on 104 and 115 minutes to leave the Reds heartbroken.

Sunderland: Staples, Kay, Liddle, Hourihane, Cornforth, McArdle, Henderson (Brown 120), Colback, Waghorn, Cook (R Noble 100), Luscombe. Unused subs: Hunter, Scott, L Noble.

Liverpool: Bouzanis, Irwin, MacKay-Steven (Collins 115), Kelly, Kennedy, Highdale (Pepper 117), Amoo (O'Connor 110), Ajdarevic, Pourie, Pacheco, Eccleston. Unused subs: Hansen, Metcalf.

http://www.liverpoolfc.tv/news/drilldown/N158832080213-1901.htm

by **god_bless_john_houlding** » Thu Feb 14, 2008 3:32 am

Bring back Heighway

Black and white kit, good choice to play against Sunderland eh

by **JoeTerp** » Thu Feb 14, 2008 4:02 am

very disapointed. Surprised that Bruna was not on the subs bench, he only played 10 minutes yesterday and I had never heard of Metcalf or Pepper before, I think they might be U16s

by **The_Rock** » Thu Feb 14, 2008 4:14 am

I prefer to look at the brighter side
The signs are good...the last time we DIDN't win the youth cup....we won the champions league........

Seriously....inter milan...we will destroy you.

by **bigmick** » Thu Feb 14, 2008 4:20 am

JoeTerp wrote:very disapointed. Surprised that Bruna was not on the subs bench, he only played 10 minutes yesterday and I had never heard of Metcalf or Pepper before, I think they might be U16s

I've actually heard of this before where the whole club is structured with the first team in mind. All the teams from Youth team upwards use the same zonal defensive system from set pieces, try and play the game in broadly the same fashion etc etc. The idea is that when players break into the first team squad they've got a basic idea of what's going on.

By the sounds of it, they're doing precisely the same thing with the Youth team now. What better way to prepare them for the selectorial merry-go round they've got ahead of them than having a few baffling selections in an important cup-tie, along with resting a kid who had played ten minutes in a game the day previously?

by **LFC2007** » Thu Feb 14, 2008 4:22 am

In conclusion, it's Rafa's fault our youth team lost.

by **The_Rock** » Thu Feb 14, 2008 4:33 am

bigmick wrote:What better way to prepare them for the selectorial merry-go round they've got ahead of them than having a few baffling selections in an important cup-tie, along with resting a kid who had played ten minutes in a game the day previously?

Jesus........every post u write has to have a dig at rotation

Really dude, the quoted text above has to be one of the funniest i have read here.....

cheers....

by **bigmick** » Thu Feb 14, 2008 4:34 am

LFC2007 wrote:In conclusion, it's Rafa's fault our youth team lost.

Absolutely. No in all seriousness LFC (cos I was joking y'know) our success in the competition over the last couple of years would suggest that we have some good young players. Most of them were bought by the current manager and he deserves huge credit for that.

Over the last couple of decades, Man Utd, Arsenal and West Ham have all had a crop of outstanding youngsters come through which has been hugely beneficial. In all those cases though, the players were broadly British in origin and came through en masse, alomost as if they were actually making each other improve as they did it. Only Arsenal have recently managed the feat however with recruits from around the World. It's hard to know how players will develop from here however good they blook of course, and it's not always down to the manager if indeed none of them make the step up.

There are a couple of points which the last statement raises. Firstly it would be foolish in my opinion to base any decisions about the manager on the success and potential of the youth team and reserves, it is quite possible none of them will make the grade. Secondly, you never really know till you give them a go. With this in mind, surely it's time to go for bigger money signings, less rotation not more and a much smaller squad base supplemented by kids making up the last five or so players in a twenty two man squad. We can't compete financially with the other big clubs, so concentration of rescourses along with sensible utilization of potential amongst the kids surely has to be the way to go.

by **LFC2007** » Thu Feb 14, 2008 4:52 am

You've a fair idea of a player's ability from about the age of 15. By that age players have developed most of their natural ability, and from then on it's generally a case of honing that ability. However, no amount of first-team playing time will massively improve their natural ability.

There are a couple in the reserves I like the blook of, Insua and Nemeth are two, and Leto's been decent. I would personally be promoting Insua.

Obviously your suggestion is probably the way I'd go about it, and in time I think Rafa will go about it in that manner, I think we'll sign higher value players from now on, should we have the finance to do so. Although in terms of quality being diluted by quantity, I can only say that perhaps last summer's transfer window counts as a legitimate point in support of that argument, when we could have used the funds ultimately used to sign Babel and Benayoun, on an out and out winger or second striker. The temptation to snap up whom Rafa considers a real prospect in Babel ahead of any other clubs, may have altered Rafa's original plans, which going by press reports at the time indicated we might have been going for a natural left winger (Malouda).

by **Toffeehater** » Thu Feb 14, 2008 6:12 am

Pity though , hard luck on the lads , but losing to sunderland?

by **stmichael** » Thu Feb 14, 2008 1:30 pm

highlights here:

http://www.sendspace.pl/file/kZy35Ndy/

by **JoeTerp** » Thu Feb 14, 2008 4:46 pm

LFC2007 wrote:You've a fair idea of a player's ability from about the age of 15. By that age players have developed most of their natural ability, and from then on it's generally a case of honing that ability. However, no amount of first-team playing time will massively improve their natural ability.

There are a couple in the reserves I like the blook of, Insua and Nemeth are two, and Leto's been decent. I would personally be promoting Insua.

Obviously your suggestion is probably the way I'd go about it, and in time I think Rafa will go about it in that manner, I think we'll sign higher value players from now on, should we have the finance to do so. Although in terms of quality being diluted by quantity, I can only say that perhaps last summer's transfer window counts as a legitimate point in support of that argument, when we could have used the funds ultimately used to sign Babel and Benayoun, on an out and out winger or second striker. The temptation to snap up whom Rafa considers a real prospect in Babel ahead of any other clubs, may have altered Rafa's original plans, which going by press reports at the time indicated we might have been going for a natural left winger (Malouda).

It seemed like we were the ones after Malouda first but we couldn't deal with the French who kept upping and upping the bid, then we focused on getting Torres and while that was going on Chelsea threw a ton of money at malouda and snatched him up, plus Luis Garcia left in the torres transaction so it seemed that we had to bring in yossi to fill that type of roll. We must have only had 11 or 12 million left so whats the best way to get a good value on that? buy a 20 year old who hasn't quite fully blossomed onto the scene but who certainly has a lot of talent as well as world class POTENTIAl.

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