Kaide Gordon’s return and coaching change saw Liverpool’s Europa League line-up revealed on Thursday as the Reds Under-21s were held to a 1-1 draw by Benfica Under-21s.
Liverpool U21 1-1 Benfica U21Premier League International CupKirkby Academy, 22 October 2023Goal: McConnell 34′; Cruise 29’Barry Leutas’ Under-21 side face Benfica in Group C for the second time this season in the Premier League International Cup.And Jurgen Klopp will be watching from the bench as shots fly towards his first-team opportunities. Meanwhile, Klopp’s assistant coach Pep Linders personally observed the meeting with Liverpool’s elite development coach Vitor Matos.
Liverpool, who lost 2-1 to Monaco in their Group C opener, could not afford to lose this game. The absence of the UEFA Youth League this season has made the competition even more important, giving Liverpool a strong squad.
Jarrell Quanza started in midfield alongside center back James McConnell. Both were on the bench for Saturday’s Merseyside derby at Anfield, as was Calum Scanlon, who played 45 minutes in the Kirkby sunshine.At times, Gordon has played just 16 minutes over the last 19 months.
The young right-back has been hampered by numerous injuries since breaking into the first-team squad at the start of 2022, but has now started to feature regularly for the Under-21s.There was no time for a leisurely start to the game on Sunday afternoon, with Benfica’s cutting attack setting the tone. Liverpool had the better of possession before the break, but the visitors created the best chances.Benfica had a penalty disallowed in the 27th minute, but it was quickly forgotten when Filipe Cruz fired a superb effort from at least 30 yards to slot beautifully into Vitezslav Jaros’ goal.
Although it was a blow for Liverpool, the excellent finish was undeniable.But the lead was short-lived as James McConnell nodded in Mateusz Musialowski’s deflected corner five minutes later. The tension came to a head just before the end of the first half when Pedro Santos, who was waiting for a through ball, went down screaming as he stood in front of Cuanza.
No one but Gilson Tavares responded. The tall midfielder was booked for pushing Cuanza and laughed out loud after the referee ruled he had accidentally stepped on Santos’ leg.Quanza and Luke Chambers were both sent off in the second half.With 25 minutes remaining, Leutas turned to Gordon for inspiration as 17-year-old Trent Cone-Doherty started.
The young Derry winger has a promising future but struggled to get anything going from Benfica on the day.By the end of the second half, both teams had shut each other out. McConnell was released for Tommy Pilling and Liverpool were largely controlled by Benfica.The tackles continued to fly and Gordon battled Benfica’s left-back, eventually challenging Liverpool’s free-kick from the right in added time. Unfortunately the header was cleared by the first man and Liverpool had to settle for a point. It was a fair result, perhaps with Benfica missing two meters in the last minute.
Liverpool U21: Jaros; Myles, Cuanza (Jonas 46′), Nallo, Chambers (Scanlon 46′); McConnell (Pilling 81′), Hill; Cone-Doherty (Gordon 65′), Glatzel (Davidson 90′), Coomas; MusialowskiSubs not used: Kelly, Finnington.
