Liverpool impress with 5-1 win away at Wolves

U18s match reportLiverpool impress with 5-1 win away at Wolves

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By Chris Shaw

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Liverpool U18s chalked up an impressive 5-1 win at Wolverhampton Wanderers in league action on Tuesday afternoon.

In their 22nd game of the U18 Premier League North season, the young Reds increased their goal total to 74, with a Luke Chambers penalty and two more from Oakley Cannonier setting them on course for three points.

Tyler Roberts struck back for Wolves towards the end of an eventful first half at Aggborough Stadium, but Bobby Clark and Harvey Blair added to the scoresheet for the visitors after the interval.

They now trail league leaders Manchester City by seven points with four rounds of fixtures remaining this term.

Liverpool made a confident start to the contest, denying Wolves the chance to break out of their own half and creating a succession of good sights of goal.

Cannonier had already drawn a save from James Storer with a turn-and-shot from the edge of the box and hooked over at the near post from James McConnell’s low cross, before they were awarded a penalty on 10 minutes.

Clark spun inside the Wolves area from McConnell’s forward pass and was judged to have been brought down by Aaron Keto-Diyawa. Up stepped Chambers from 12 yards to dispatch a perfect kick inside the right post.

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Opportunities continued to flow for the visitors, with Cannonier poking an effort wide of the target when picked out excellently by Luca Stephenson’s threaded pass into the box.

Storer then thwarted an angled drive by Cannonier, who – along with Blair – was then unable to touch Melkamu Frauendorf’s teasing low delivery over the goalline.

Liverpool eventually doubled their lead on 34 minutes. Blair showed determination to keep the ball in on the left byline and picked out Cannonier in the middle for a delightful, side-footed finish into the right of the net.

Cannonier was celebrating his second and the Reds’ third a matter of minutes later, the prolific striker this time meeting Stephenson’s cross from deep with a flicked header that nestled into the bottom left corner.

The away team’s healthy advantage was clipped just before the break, though.

Temple Ojinnaka stole possession from James Balagizi in the centre of the park and Wolves swiftly moved the ball into the area for Roberts, who clipped over and across Harvey Davies as he came out of goal.

Marc Bridge-Wilkinson’s Reds continued to make the running after the restart.

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With 52 on the clock, Frauendorf broke down the right channel and squared into the middle of the box for Cannonier, who looked certain for a hat-trick with his touch, turn and strike until Marvin Kaleta deflected it over.

When their fourth goal of the day did arrive, Cannonier was the unselfish provider.

Blair won possession in the Wolves half and slipped in his fellow forward along the right, who rounded the goalkeeper and spotted Clark at the back post with a lofted cross that was calmly nodded home.

The Reds’ fifth – and perhaps best – goal followed in the 64th minute and was wholly the result of Blair’s skill and determination.

He embarked on a run from several yards inside his own half that took him past three challenges and eventually all the way into the Wolves area.

Losing his balance as he arrived into a shooting position, the No.7 somehow managed to sweep an accurate shot across goal and into the corner despite being prone on the floor, putting a classy seal on a handsome victory.

Liverpool U18s: Davies, Frauendorf (Osborne, 65), Jonas, Chambers, Scanlon (Hayes-Green, 74), Stephenson, Balagizi, McConnell (Koumas, 81), Blair, Clark, Cannonier.

Unused substitutes: Hewitson, Pilling.

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