Liverpool’s under-21 side began their Premier League 2 season with a share of the spoils against Everton at Goodison Park on Friday evening.
Will Wright gave the visitors the lead after 14 minutes at the home of Everton’s men’s team, only for the hosts to restore parity four minutes later when Jack Patterson converted George Finney’s delivery from the right flank.
Rob Page’s outfit were forced to finish with ten men and had centre-back Mor Talla Ndiaye between the sticks after goalkeeper Harvey Davies was shown a straight red for bringing down Everton’s Justin Clarke just outside the penalty area on 87 minutes.
Shortly after, Braiden Graham was also dismissed for the home team following a confrontation involving players from both sides, during which Liverpool substitute Joe Upton was left on the ground.
Wright delivers as Danns makes comeback
It felt as though decades had not elapsed. Liverpool, clad in their distinctive white-flecked kit, had taken the lead in this local rivalry with their number nine calmly finishing at the Gwladys Street End.
Clearly, nobody is equating Will Wright with Ian Rush, Liverpool’s all-time leading scorer. However, this offered further proof that the 18-year-old possesses a natural ability to score goals.
Wright effortlessly swept a low cross first-time into the far corner after Isaac Mabaya had found captain Michael Laffey in space down the inside right channel within the penalty box.
Having been handed opportunities by Andoni Iraola during pre-season training, Wright is set to continue his progression with the under-21s this campaign after registering six goals and three assists in his final seven Premier League 2 appearances of the previous season following his return from a serious knee injury.
There was also a recovery to observe, as Jayden Danns entered the fray after a problematic hamstring injury prevented him from accumulating guaranteed minutes with the senior squad over the summer.
Danns, whose previous season was disrupted by a significant hamstring issue 11 months earlier, came on at the 62-minute mark and quickly posed a threat, forcing one blocked shot with the rebound kept out before Oliver O’Connor dragged the loose ball across the goal line.
Absences raise transfer speculation
As is typical at this stage of the campaign, the absentees attracted as much attention as those who took to the field at an unusually quiet Goodison.
Lewis Koumas had done enough during pre-season to impress Iraola and secure involvement in first-team preparations ahead of the Premier League opener at Newcastle United on Sunday.
However, the other notable absentees have all been associated with potential loan departures before the deadline on Tuesday of next week.
James McConnell would have been valuable in a midfield encounter where Everton’s aggressive approach created an increasingly intense contest reminiscent of traditional derbies.
Left-back Luke Chambers was another unavailable player, with a decision anticipated closer to the end of the transfer window regarding his and McConnell’s immediate futures.
Nevertheless, there was a positive start for Mabaya at right-back, with the player having missed virtually the entire previous campaign after sustaining an Achilles injury just two matches into a loan stint at Wigan Athletic.
Ndiaye steps up
A shortage of available centre-backs provided Liverpool’s Academy players with an opening during the initial weeks of Iraola’s tenure as first-team manager.
While Ifeanyi Ndukwe’s standout performances propelled him into the spotlight – the young defender is anticipated to complete a loan move to Spanish club Levante this weekend – there was also an opportunity for Mor Talla Ndiaye to showcase his development since arriving from Senegal in January.
Partnered with the fit-again Wellity Lucky, the 18-year-old certainly demonstrated no shortage of effort or determination, despite some of his passing occasionally lacking precision.
The physical nature of the contest brought out the toughness in both defenders, with the pair likely to form the backbone of Liverpool’s under-21s’ efforts during the first half of the season.
The match concluded with Ndiaye donning the goalkeeper’s jersey and producing one solid save after Liverpool had already used all their allowed substitutions prior to Davies’ dismissal.
Liverpool’s next Premier League 2 fixture arrives the following Sunday when they welcome Leeds United to Kirkby, with kick-off scheduled for 1pm.
LIVERPOOL U21s: Davies; Mabaya (Upton 77), Ndiaye, Lucky, Pitt; Trueman (Onanuga 77), Laffey; O’Connor, Figueroa (Danns 62), Sonni-Lambie (Bradshaw 68); Wright. Subs: Misciur, Ayman, Cisse. BOOKINGS: Lucky, Wright, Upton. SENDING-OFF: Davies.