It was a day to forget for Liverpool’s under-18s, who fell to a familiar first-team curse as Man United inflicted a 7-0 defeat at Kirkby.
Liverpool U18s 0-7 Man United U18s
U18s Premier League, Kirkby
November 29, 2025
Goals: Mantato 7′, Gabriel 43′, 66′, 90+2′, McCormack 71′, Thwaites pen 84′, Lusale 90′
Simon Wiles’ young Liverpool side were without a few faces due to injury and as a result of playing in the UEFA Youth League in midweek.
Darren Fletcher, meanwhile, was able to draft players from Man United‘s under-21s side into his lineup to create a physical imbalance, especially in midfield.
As with the first team, who have conceded the first goal 10 times and gone on to lose on nine occasions this season, the U18s could not bounce back from an early setback.
Bendito Mantato’s direct run on the counter could not be stopped and he made it 1-0 after only seven minutes, following the trend set by Liverpool’s senior counterparts.
It must be said that Kornel Misciur’s brilliant intervention then prevented a nailed-on goal after he did not hesitate to jump on the ball at the striker’s feet.
At the other end, Finn Inglethorpe carved out a promising opportunity by taking the goalkeeper out of play, but he elected to shoot and hit the side netting instead of teeing up options in the middle.
Liverpool looked as though they would head into the break with a narrow deficit, but Joseph Gabriel outfoxed the Reds’ defence with quick shifts either side, converting with four players around him.
Half time: Liverpool U18s 0-2 Man United U18s
The second half started more brightly for Wiles’ side, but the dam walls broke rather dramatically as the visitors scored five unanswered goals from the 66th minute onwards.
Gabriel scored the second of his three goals after being allowed to run into the box and take his time to line up a shot across the goalkeeper for 3-0.
The fourth arrived from a corner with Liverpool’s failure to clear their lines, leading to a messy game of pinball in the six-yard box, with United unfortunately getting the crucial last touch.
Also quite in keeping with Arne Slot‘s side!
A penalty conceded by Alvin Ayman paved the way for the fifth goal of the afternoon as frustration started to come to the fore.
An in-form Sonni-Lambie was starved of opportunities in Liverpool’s attacking third as United pressed ahead with a dominant win, adding a further two goals after the 90th minute.
Liverpool’s defence was too easy to bypass throughout the match, and it has been the story of the season so far with 40 goals conceded across their 11 league games – it’s more than any other side.
There was at least a moment to savour for Luca Eden, who came off the bench to make his U18s debut as a 14-year-old.
Liverpool U18s: Misciur; O’Connor (Powney-Wain 77′), Owen, Hawkins, Ayman; Hickman (Eden 84′), Upton; Bradshaw, Inglethorpe (Farkas 60′), Lee-Forrester; Sonni-Lambie
Subs not used: Bernard, Huth
Next match: Middlesbrough (A) – U18 Premier League – Sat, Dec 6, 12.30pm (GMT)
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