Liverpool U18s suffered a heavy 5-0 defeat against Blackburn Rovers in the U18 Premier League North on Saturday afternoon.
Marc Bridge-Wilkinson’s side struggled to cope with Blackburn’s intensity and finished the match with 10 men after Louis Enahoro-Marcus was sent off following a second-half altercation.
The young Reds started brightly, with Josh Sonni-Lambie and Scofield Lonmeni both going close in the opening exchanges. However, Blackburn quickly took control, using their physicality and direct play to push Liverpool back. The breakthrough came on the half-hour mark when Jayden Sergeant got free on the left and delivered a low cross into the box, allowing Aaron Potter to finish from close range.
Liverpool goalkeeper Bailey Hall produced several key saves to keep the deficit at one before the break. He denied Sergeant and then reacted quickly to stop a follow-up effort from Harvey Higgins. But Blackburn continued to apply pressure in the second half, and on the hour mark, the hosts doubled their lead. A well-delivered set-piece found Stephen Edmondson at the far post, and he made no mistake from close range.
Minutes later, Liverpool’s afternoon worsened when Enahoro-Marcus received a red card following a clash with Edmondson near the byline. With a numerical advantage, Blackburn took full control, adding a third goal when Sergeant latched onto a counterattack and fired high into the net.
As the game neared its conclusion, Blackburn added two more goals to complete Liverpool’s misery. Valentine Joseph headed home from a late set-piece before Emmanuel Airoboma inadvertently turned the ball into his own net in stoppage time.
The result leaves Liverpool next-to-bottom in the U18 Premier League North, and they will look to respond when they face Newcastle United on February 22.
