A difficult afternoon in Linz

Rob Page's Liverpool U19 side fell to defeat against LASK in the UEFA Youth League on Wednesday, with a torrid first half proving too costly to recover from. The match, played at the Voestalpine Stadion in Linz, saw the Reds outplayed for long stretches by a home side who had clearly done their tactical homework.

Liverpool's afternoon started badly almost from the first whistle. After belting the ball forward from kick-off, they immediately allowed LASK to break and goalkeeper Hall was forced into an early save. That set the tone for a first half in which, as one observer put it bluntly, Liverpool were lucky to be only one behind at the break.

How the goals went in

LASK's first came from a long throw into the box. Ndiaye headed the ball upward, keeper Hall came out and got nowhere near it, and Bozoski hooked it to the far post where Krapf was on hand to finish. The second arrived from a corner, with Jindra curling in a dangerous inswinger and Ilk heading home from close range. Hall made some fine stops during the half, but the scoreline was a fair reflection of LASK's dominance.

Krapf was a constant menace and came close to adding a third on more than one occasion, with Hall and Ndiaye both required to make important interventions to keep the deficit manageable. Liverpool, by contrast, struggled to gain any foothold and found it far too easy for the home side to run at their defence.

Young Eden catches the eye despite the result

There were some positives to take, even in defeat. Liverpool began to grow into the contest as the second half progressed, with Upton going close from range and O'Connor doing well down the right to deliver a cross that caused LASK goalkeeper Katzmayr genuine problems. The Reds had calmed considerably from that chaotic opening and started to show what they were actually capable of.

Much of the pre-match attention had focused on 15-year-old Luca Eden, handed another start in midfield despite picking up a yellow card during the match for a late challenge. With first-team involvement meaning some familiar names were absent from this squad entirely, Eden's continued presence in the starting XI underlines just how highly he is regarded. Whether today's defeat proves a painful but useful education for a squad full of young talent remains to be seen.

Where Liverpool go from here

The Reds had drawn their opening Youth League fixture 2-2 against Atletico Madrid, with Ndiaye and Sonni-Lambie on the scoresheet that day, so back-to-back dropped points early in the competition will sharpen minds. Page and his staff have work to do, but with a squad this young, the lessons learned in afternoons like this one in Linz are often the ones that matter most further down the line.