AcademyU18s match report: Stunning comeback gives Liverpool cup win at Chelsea

Goals in either half for the home team at Cobham had seemed to put the tie to bed, with Ryan Kavuma-McQueen and Genesis Antwi on target.

Trey Nyoni halved the Reds’ deficit as time ticked away, though, and they then completed a remarkable late turnaround when Rio Ngumoha and Alvin Ayman netted in minutes 86 and 90+1.

It was a rather tepid quarter-final in its early stages, with the only real action a decent free-kick by Joe Bradshaw from not far shy of 25 yards that was curling on target but plucked in by Chelsea goalkeeper Hudson Sands.

Ngumoha injected some pace into proceedings as he drove through the middle and to the edge of the Blues box 18 minutes in.

The attacker was shepherded by Olutayo Subuloye while bearing down on goal but got off a low shot towards the right corner that Sands tipped behind.

Though Chelsea’s threat had been limited so far, they opened the scoring just before the half-hour. Kavuma-McQueen dribbled through the left channel dangerously and, having cut inside the challenge of DJ Esdaille, threaded a low finish into the opposite corner.

Bradshaw saw a driven effort blocked from a good position inside the hosts’ penalty area and the interval arrived with the Reds still trailing by one.

Liverpool began the second period on the front foot and only a crucial interception by Subuloye prevented Josh Sonni-Lambie from maximising Bradshaw’s square to the six-yard box.

Nyoni was denied by Sands with a daisy-cutter on the angle from the left, before the Blues doubled their advantage with 58 on the clock.

Kavuma-McQueen was involved again down the left, guiding in a cross to Ibrahim Rabbaj, whose close-range effort was saved well by Kornel Misciur. The rebound rolled to Antwi, however, and he fired it high into the net.

Reggie Walsh hooked an attempt narrowly wide of the left post and Chizaram Ezenwata’s classy overhead kick from a hoisted cross was stopped by Misciur – perhaps with the fortune of the ball clattering his face.

Marc Bridge-Wilkinson’s Reds gave themselves hope seven minutes from the end, Nyoni confidently rifling home when Bradshaw’s cross into the area was not properly cleared.

They immediately produced an equaliser, too. Ngumoha shimmied his way forward and made the most of the shooting position he had created, threading a finish inside the right post.

And a thrilling comeback was completed in the first minute of added time, Sonni-Lambie’s delivery across the front of goal superbly prodded over the line at full stretch by Ayman.

Team

Liverpool: Misciur, Esdaille, Ewing, Pinnington, Nallo, Upton, Bradshaw (Ahmed, 90+4), Ayman (Onanuga, 90+2), Sonni-Lambie, Nyoni, Ngumoha.

Unused subs: Hall, Enahoro-Marcus, Lonmeni.

Goals: Nyoni (83), Ngumoha (86), Ayman (90+1).

Next up

The young Reds host Manchester United in U18 Premier League North next Saturday (February 8).

Kick-off at the Kirkby Academy is 11am GMT and the game will be shown live on LFCTV GO.