There have been debuts for brand spanking new signings Rio Ngumoha and Alvin Ayman for Liverpool U18s on Saturday, however it got here in defeat because the younger Reds misplaced 2-0 to Blackburn.
Liverpool U18s 0-2 Blackburn U18s
U18 Premier League, AXA Coaching Centre
September 14, 2024
Objectives: Shorrocks 48′, Joseph 90+2′
As a part of an ongoing recruitment drive at academy stage, Ngumoha and Ayman joined Liverpool over the summer time from Chelsea and Wolves respectively.
After a prolonged course of to permit their transfers to undergo, the pair made their aggressive debuts for the U18s as Blackburn visited the AXA Coaching Centre on Saturday.
For Ayman, whose transfer was finalised sooner than his new team-mate, that got here as a part of the beginning lineup, deployed in a sophisticated midfield function alongside Scofield Lonmeni and Fola Onanuga.
It was a back-and-forth begin between the 2 sides, with Onanuga going closest for Liverpool as he fired an effort vast of the publish.
However Blackburn arguably had the higher of the possibilities because the likes of Joe Boggan and Nathan Dlamini threatened the hosts’ defence, led by captain Lucas Pitt.
Sadly, Rovers had been in a position to acquire momentum quickly after the break, with Jackson Shorrocks looping a header past goalkeeper Bailey Corridor after Louis Enahoro-Marcus’ tried clearance.
There have been additional alternatives for the likes of Patrik Farkas – previously of Liverpool’s academy – and on numerous events Boggan, although the younger Reds held agency.
Proper-back DJ Esdaille and left-sider Ollie O’Connor each impressed, whereas the introduction of Joe Bradshaw and Kareem Ahmed from the bench gave Marc Bridge-Wilkinson’s facet extra impetus in assault.
First contact for Rio Ngumoha virtually results in a objective pic.twitter.com/zw5cnfyU9v
— N. (@cnsultra) September 14, 2024
The hotly anticipated arrival Ngumoha got here with quarter-hour to play, and the 16-year-old winger virtually arrange a objective together with his first involvement, beating his man on the left and delivering a superb cross which Bradshaw virtually turned house.
However Ngumoha’s debut got here in defeat, underlined by one other objective for Blackburn late on via Valentin Joseph as he pounced on a cross out from Corridor to transform.
Liverpool U18s: Corridor; Esdaille, Pitt, Enahoro-Marcus, Williams; Lonmeni, Onanuga, Ayman (Bradshaw 61′); Martin (Ahmed 61′), O’Connor, Sonni-Lambie (Ngumoha 74′)
Subs not used: Bernard Jr., Evers
Subsequent match: Leeds (A) – U18 Premier League – Saturday, September 21, 12pm (BST)
