Two of Liverpool’s most promising young players played the entire game as the Reds under-21s lost to Crystal Palace by a slight margin on Sunday.
Liverpool U21 0-1 Crystal Palace U21
Premier League 2, AXA Training Center
January 22, 2023
Goals: Akinvale 5′
Since Ramsey and Doak were not included in the main squad for Saturday’s draw with Chelsea, they were given the green light to play for Barry Lutas’ team the next day.
Ramsey has yet to make an appearance in the first team since Liverpool’s season resumed in December, and Sunday reports say Swansea and Watford are interested in signing him on loan this month.
There were also three players who had recently returned from a loan. Billy Cumetio started in the central defender position, Max Voltman was given another game in attack, and Fidel O’Rourke, who was recalled from Caernarfon Town this week, came off the bench.
Liverpool got off to the worst possible start: the visitors scored the only goal of the game after just five minutes.
In the protocol, striker Viktor Akinvale scored, finishing well after a Jack Wells-Morrison pass. Before the break, Palace had other opportunities to increase the gap, but they could not use them.
Liverpool increased the pressure at the beginning of the second period, and Doak refused the last attempt in the penalty area shortly before the hour mark.
But the young Reds could not find a breakthrough, and Palace held all three points. The defeat leaves Liverpool in sixth place in the Premier League 2, and Crystal Palace in third.
Liverpool U21: Mrozek; Ramsey, Jonas, Kumetio, Chambers; Corness, Stephenson, Clark (Musyalovski, 76); Doak, Frauendorf (O’Rourke, 76), Voltman (Blair, 58)
Unused substitutes: Hughes, Olufunwa
Next match: Wolves U-21 (A) — Premier League 2 — Friday, January 27, 19:00 (GMT)
