Liverpool U21s suffered a second defeat in their Premier League U21 International Cup campaign as Benfica's class earned a 2-0 victory on Friday evening.

The away team scored either side of half-time to register a 100 per cent record in the section and leave the young Reds with a mountain to climb to qualify.

Jose Enrique was handed a start by Michael Beale and featured for 45 minutes at Chester FC, while Brad Smith returned to action as a second-half substitute.

The visitors, who compete in the second tier of Portuguese football, had won each of their two previous games in Group A and their quality was evident as they moved the ball carefully and calmly in the opening 10 minutes.

Benfica would have taken the lead as well were it not for the reactions of Andrew Firth.

Tom Brewitt misjudged a back-pass to the goalkeeper, who nevertheless managed to rush out quickly enough to block Diogo Goncalves as the No.84 attempted to pounce.

The travellers’ use of possession was mostly exemplary, frustrating the Reds, though Jack Dunn had a brief glimpse of goal when he fired a snapshot too straight to trouble the net.

But Benfica soon turned the screw and only a superb block by Joe Maguire prevented Goncalves from tapping home after Pedro Rebocho had supported along the left flank and found his teammate in the box.

The forward could not be denied nine minutes before the interval, however.

Sancidino Silva darted across the area from the right, dribbling around several challenges, and teed up Goncalves for a clinical, first-time curler past the reach of Firth and into the top corner.

And Liverpool’s hopes of overturning the deficit were dashed shortly after the restart, Goncalves turning provider to slide through the onrushing Joao Carvalho to smash in a second for the Portuguese outfit.

Brewitt momentarily thought he had struck back but his rebound tap-in was ruled out for offside as the Benfica ‘keeper pushed away Matty Virtue’s drive from the edge of the box.

Miguel Santos somehow denied Jerome Sinclair in the 81st minute with a sensational close-range save following good work by Sam Hart – typifying the Reds’ night as they could not find a way through.

U21s team: Firth, Whelan, Enrique (Hart), Brewitt, Maguire, Virtue, Dunn (Madger Gomes), Brannagan, Sinclair, O’Hanlon, Trickett-Smith (Smith). Unused substitutes: Marsh, George, Polgar, Cleary.