Liverpool U18s lose to Southampton in a friendly match.

On Saturday afternoon, Southampton defeated Liverpool U18s 6-3 in a friendly road game.

In Staplewood Campus, the hosts prevailed despite two goals from Ranel Young and one from Kareem Ahmed for the young Reds.

U18s manager Marc Bridge-Wilkinson said to Liverpoolfc.com after the match, “Playing against a team from the southern division is a great game.” It goes without saying that they hosted us, which was quite pleasant. It was a beautiful complex and a great spot to go play football.

“The game got off to a great start. We took an early 2-0 lead, but after that, it became a little harder for us to regain control of the game. Southampton performed incredibly well and was quite strong. However, we continued to play and, thanks to a few strong plays towards the end, were able to tie the game.

“Overall, it was probably a fair outcome. As always, there are some advantages, but there is still plenty for us to improve.”

He went on to say, “We had a free weekend and I had a look to see who else had a free weekend in the southern division and it happened to be them,” regarding the choice to play a friendly before the season finale against Derby County the following week.

It’s fantastic to be able to play against a team we don’t often play against and an academy that’s a little bit farther away than we’re used to. Playing against opposing teams allows us to assess ourselves against teams throughout the nation and learn more about their values.”

The Liverpool U18s will play their final league game of the season on Saturday, May 11, travelling to Derby. Fans can watch the game live on LFCTV and LFCTV GO, with a 12.30pm BST kickoff.