Liverpool Youth 2 Bradford City Youth 0

WHEN the opposition have won 4-1 at Real Madrid a month ago, you realise the size of the FA Youth Cup task facing the young Bantams tonight.

Seven of the Liverpool side for the third-round tie had also started the 3-0 win over Swiss side Basel five days earlier, which clinched their place in the next stage of the UEFA Youth League.

It may have been St Helens and not Anfield but City’s under-18s could not have wished for a fiercer test of their credentials.

Five minutes in, it seemed a gulf in class they could never hope to bridge.

Liverpool were two up by that point and the shell-shocked visitors had not got out of their half.

But given that “rabbits in headlights” introduction, City will have left Langtree Park fairly satisfied that the margin of defeat remained the same.

Liverpool may have naturally taken their foot off the gas as they eased towards another home tie against Derby but the visitors made a decent fist of it overall. They were not embarrassed.

Watched by Phil Parkinson, City had been the architects of their own downfall with the second-minute opener. Skipper James Pollard’s backpass lacked the power to reach keeper Elliott Barker, allowing Sheyi Ojo to nip in first and set up Sergi Canos for a tap-in.

Liverpool continued their full-throttle start and had a second straight after as the powerful centre forward Jerome Sinclair turned and drilled in from 12 yards.

At that stage, you feared a cricket score.The hosts were stronger and quicker and Ojo had the ball in the net again from Jordan Rossiter’s cross but City were spared by an assistant’s flag.

Liverpool attacked at will and Pollard produced a vital block to deny Sinclair a second from close range. Then 16-year-old Adam Phillips rattled the Bantams bar with a screaming 30-yard free-kick.

Phillips almost turned provider from another set-piece into the six-yard box where Sinclair once again went close.

City had a sniff of a chance just before the half hour as they started to find their feet. Dylan Mottley-Henry’s cross was nibbled at by Reece Webb-Foster but Sumaili Cissa was behind him to meet it with a low shot straight at keeper Andy Firth.

Liverpool immediately marched back up the other end where Barker saved well low down to deny Canos.

The Spaniard, who joined Liverpool from Barcelona, then tried to walk the ball into the net with a series of one-twos into the box. But City survived again and, given the amount of pressure, were doing well to keep a lid on things.

Their own wingers Mottley-Henry and Cissa began to ask the odd question with their pace. In particular Cissa, the only change from the team that beat Barnsley in the last round, showed a willingness to run at the home defence when the opportunity allowed.

City’s best moment came when Cissa drove low across the goal mouth and just beyond sub Jack Waters as he slid in at the far post.

Barker saved on his line from Canos and Sam Wright took a booking for the team to halt Ryan Kent’s rapid counter-attack but the second half was a far more even contest with City playing their part.

Unfortunately a couple of promising build-ups petered out when the ball got to the edge of the box. Top scorer Webb-Foster was not afforded the amount of time by defenders he is used to every week in the Youth Alliance.

Sinclair skied a great chance to make it 3-0, before City had the final say with Webb-Foster denied a stoppage-time consolation by an alert save. They had learned a lot in defeat.

LIVERPOOL YTH: Firth, Polgar, Whelan, Rossiter, Brewitt, Phillips (Ejaria 81), Canos, Chirivella, Sinclair, Kent (Wilson 66), Ojo (Lewis 66). Subs (not used): Wheeler, Travis.

CITY YTH: Barker, Jenkinson (Mellor 85), King, Pollard, Kershaw (Waters 46), Devine, Wright (McBurnie 68), Mottley-Henry, Chippendale, Cissa, Webb-Foster. Subs (not used): Hallwood, Omolokun.