Cameron Brannagan scored twice as Liverpool U23s made it five games unbeaten with a 6-2 thrashing of Spurs at Stevenage’s Lamex Stadium on Monday evening.
Harry Wilson opened the scoring in the third minute before Ben Woodburn and Brannagan put the Reds 3-0 up inside eight minutes with Trent Alexander-Arnold adding a fourth before the interval.
Source: liverpoolfc.com
Marcus Edwards replied for the hosts but Brannagan netted his second to restore the four-goal lead. Brooks Lennon added a sixth but Ryan Loft’s penalty made it 6-2 in injury-time.
Liverpool Head Coach Beale made five changes from the 4-0 win over Leicester last week as Caoimhin Kelleher, Connor Randall, Pedro Chirivella, Ovie Ejaria and Danny Ings all made way
Kamil Grabara, Joe Maguire, Matthew Virtue, Brannagan and Toni Gomes were all recalled to the starting line-up for the game.
Despite the re-shuffle, it didn’t seem to affect the young Reds as they went ahead inside three minutes with captain Wilson netting his seventh goal of the season.
Moments later Liverpool doubled their lead when 16-year-old Ben Woodburn scored his sixth goal of the season in just his eighth start before Brannagan opened his account shortly after.
Trent Alexander-Arnold then made it 4-0 just after the half-hour mark with a long-range strike that flew into the top corner to register his first goal at U23 level as the visitors ended the half on top.
A lapse in concentration by the Liverpool defence allowed Edwards to twist and turn his way through the Reds backline and fire past Grabara from close-range to give his side a slimmer of hope.
However, all hope was diminished when Brannagan, who has been training with the first-team, doubled his goal tally with a fine finish to make it 5-1.
Surprisingly, there was still time for more goals. Firstly, second-half substitute Brooks Lennon scored his third goal in just five starts with six minutes left on the clock as the game was all but over.
Loft gave the home crowd something to cheer about in added time, as his penalty made the scoreline marginally more respectable, but Liverpool sealed an emphatic victory.
Beale praised Brannagan for two goals and an assist, but Woodburn also impressed, as the Welshman provided three assists in addition to his goal.
The young Reds move up to fifth in the Premier League 2 table, three points off the leaders Everton. They could move as high as second, but face stern opposition in the form on fourth-placed Sunderland on Sunday afternoon.
Liverpool U23s: Grabara; Alexander-Arnold, Ilori, Whelan, Maguire (Juanma 86’); Stewart, Virtue (Phillips 58’); Wilson, Brannagan, Woodburn; Gomes (Lennon 72’).
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