Reds flounder in a REAL test

LIVERPOOL suffered their first defeat of the UEFA Youth League campaign when they were well beaten at home by Real Madrid on Tuesday afternoon.

- By IAN DOYLE

LIVERPOOL suffered their first defeat of the UEFA Youth League campaign when they were well beaten at home by Real Madrid on Tuesday afternoon.

Goals early in each half from Jacobo Ortega and Adrian Perez, before a strike by substitute Jaime Barroso and another from Diego Aguado, saw the Reds’ under-19s tumble 4-0 to their Spanish opponents at the Academy in Kirkby.

Having scored seven times in their last two games in the competition, Rob Page's side struggled to create meaningful opportunities and were indebted to a string of good saves from goalkeeper Bailey Hall to avoid a heavier loss.

The result means Liverpool now have seven points from four games and remain inside the top 22 in the 36-team league - and in line for qualification to the knockout rounds - with a home clash against PSV Eindhoven and a trip to Inter Milan to finish the opening stage.

Proof of the value of this competition could be seen just a week after the remarkable 5-4 win at Eintracht Frankfurt in the previous UEFA Youth League matchday with Arne Slot's much-debated lineup for the home League Cup defeat to Crystal Palace.