AcademyU18s match report: Ranel Young strikes twice as Reds beat Newcastle

Jayden Danns opened the scoring with a header and a second-half double from substitute Ranel Young, along with a low strike from Afolami Onanuga, earned a deserved win in the north east.

The game began in windy conditions at the Newcastle Academy, with both sides battling to dominate early possession.

Liverpool edged the attacking play with Francis Gyimah and Lewis Koumas causing the hosts problems down the left flank.

The Reds full-back first swung a low ball into the area, which evaded the forward by a matter of inches, leaving home stopper Adam Harrison to punch the loose ball away.

Gyimah then attempted to get in behind the Newcastle defence himself in a role reversal, as Koumas played in the defender with a clever pass.

It was Danns, though, who enjoyed the first clear-cut opportunity of the game, sliding inside the six-yard box to meet a Gyimah ball at the back post.

His effort was initially beaten away by the diving Harrison, causing a scramble in the area before the referee’s whistle halted play.

Danns did eventually break the deadlock ahead of the half-time interval, as he darted onto the end of a James McConnell corner ball to fire home a well-placed header into the net.

In the final action of the opening period, Liverpool goalkeeper Luke Hewitson was forced into his first meaningful save of the match, meeting the forward run of Shaun Mavididi to close the angle inside the box.

Liverpool started the second half on the front foot and had the ball in the back of the net through Koumas just three minutes after the interval.

The No.9, though, was denied by a raised offside flag, having flicked Keyrol Figueroa’s cross home, with Danns and Koumas again going close in the immediate aftermath.

McConnell fired another threatening shot past the far post in the search for a second, while Figueroa’s close-range header forced a brilliant reaction save from goalkeeper Harrison.

The Reds continued to push on and it was substitute Young who struck with his first touch only seconds after stepping off the bench, earning Liverpool a cushion in the 74th minute.

Gyimah’s inch-perfect ball over the top found the run of Koumas down the left, with the forward squaring to his teammate inside the penalty area.

Just two minutes later Marc Bridge-Wilkinson’s side had a third goal, Onanuga driving home a low half-volley into the bottom corner of the net on the next attack.

Young then rounded off the scoring in the latter stages, firing into the roof of the goal in emphatic fashion to seal the spoils.

Liverpool U18s: Hewitson, Davidson, Gyimah, Pitt, Samuels, McConnell, Figueroa (Young, 73), Onanuga, Koumas, Kelly (Pennington, 83), Danns (Gift, 83).