Reaction'Nothing but praise for that' - Rob Page reacts to LFC U21s' remarkable Rochdale draw
Liverpool U21s head coach Rob Page lauded the character of his side after producing a remarkable comeback to draw 3-3 at Rochdale in the Jersey Mike's Trophy.
Despite playing 70 minutes with 10 men and trailing 3-1 entering second-half stoppage time, the young Reds avoided defeat in their northern Group H opener on Tuesday night.
Substitutes Ben Trueman and Josh Sonni-Lambie netted in minutes 94 and 96 respectively to level the affair and take it to a penalty shootout, which Page's side won 7-6 to claim a bonus point.
Speaking to reporters afterwards, Page said: "I mean, what character and resilience the boys showed to come back not only from the sending-off early on in the game, but to show character to see the game through.
"I thought the substitutes came on and made a difference, gave us the fresh legs in the middle of the park that we needed. So, nothing but praise for that."
He added: "We talk about being proud to wear the jersey. And when you wear the badge, there comes a level of expectation when you go out and play for Liverpool.
"So, they know that myself and Jay [Spearing], who's played for the club, won't accept anything less than 100 per cent. So, they've got that built-in resilience. It's the character that we want in the team.
"We've tried to change the mentality certainly in the 12 months that I've been here and I'm seeing it every day in training. The intensity of training has increased and they've got that winning mentality.
"The message before the game tonight was, 'How good did you feel after that performance and result on Saturday? Go and build on it again.' It's all about winning.
"It's about developing players, of course, but they must have that winning mentality, and I think we've got it."
Mor Talla Ndiaye received a red card in the 21st minute for the denial of a goalscoring opportunity and Rochdale then went on to make it 1-0.
Will Wright, however, produced a stunning solo effort soon after to equalise.
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On the 18-year-old forward, Page said: "We've spoken about him every week for the goals, but he was a constant threat, wasn't he?
"That was the message at half-time, 'I think they'll have a little bit more respect for Will Wright after the first 45 minutes and they'll be worried.' Because he was a constant threat.
"But every man out there has worked their socks off and helped with that result in the end."