Liverpool defeated Arsenal 7-1 to advance in the FA Youth Cup.
Lewis Koumas scored a hat-trick, while Trent Kone-Doherty and Jayden Danns each scored twice.
At the Kirkby Academy, the teams exchanged goals in the first quarter of an hour until Ethan Nwaneri’s brilliant goal for the Reds tied the score.
Koumas scored for the Reds. However, a barrage of goals either side of the half saw Liverpool storm to an incredibly stunning victory,
capped by a double from Kone and Doherty and Koumas’ second finish of the game.
After swinging home a beautiful free-kick to bring up a half-dozen, Danns added an opportunistic long-range finish to his score, and Koumas wrapped up the points one minute remaining.
The next step for Marc Bridge-Wilkinson’s team is a home match against either Fulham or Swansea City in round five.
From the beginning, both teams were determined to win, and in the fourth minute, Kieran Morrison missed the mark with his header following a Kone-Doherty cross.
And with just nine minutes remaining, Liverpool took the lead. Once more, Kone-Doherty had the Arsenal defense on the ropes,
and when his center erred inside the box, Danns deftly set Koumas up for a decisive, high finish.
Despite Kornel Misciur’s cautious save, the visitors quickly equalized, maintaining their confident style of play.
Ben Trueman lost possession of the ball near the edge of the box to Nwaneri, who finished confidently into the left corner, as a result of the Gunners’ intense pressure.
Osman Kamara then mishandled yards from goal after being fed by a cross, but a Reds comeback on minute 26 kept them from falling behind.
Josh Davidson’s clearing header went over the crossbar, and Nwaneri, breaking into the box,
slid the ball selflessly square to Chido Obi-Martin, who was beaten to the rebound by a brave Misciur block.
This would turn out to be the pivotal moment in the match as Liverpool scored twice in rapid succession.
The Reds’ intense pressure paid off in the 31st minute when Koumas curled a low shot from about 20 yards into the bottom right corner after Trey Nyoni gave up the ball.
Four minutes later, that lead had doubled. Koumas riskily flicked on Amara Nallo’s lofted pass into the channel with his chest for Kone-Doherty,
who entered from the left and swept a cool finish in at the near side.
Arsenal kept playing their style of football and posed a threat to the Liverpool goal,
but they were unable to win the match as another quick succession of goals ended the match.
On 51, Koumas was allowed to dribble into the opposing area by Nyoni, who made an incredible pass from within his own half.
Despite the fact that his shot was blocked, Kone-Doherty was there to move the ball into the right post.
Danns subsequently became a member of the two-goal club.
He started by taking advantage of a careless touch at the back and, after spotting the goalie beyond his box, he threaded in a low long-range shot.
And shortly after the hour, the No. 9 outperformed even that innate skill when he blasted a wonderful 25-yard free kick into the upper right corner from a central position.
After the damage was done, the action slowed down as the clock ran short.
However, Koumas scored his treble by taking advantage of a defensive lapse and finishing with a poke.
Danns had been denied a hat-trick by a last-minute save.
Next Game
The Liverpool U18s’ next match is an away league game against Nottingham Forest on Saturday, January 27 (kick-off time: 12.30pm GMT).
