Was hoping for a loss not because I want out of the comp but the young lads will learn so much more in defeat. Credit to Villa who were professional and further credit to Dean Smith and his staff who went into the lfc dressing room and told the lads they should be proud.
I really hope that was a mistake and you typed without thinking mate. NEVER hope for a loss! Not least for a group of young lads who deserved FAR better than what they ultimately got in this cruel, cruel game.
I've just finally caught up on the Villa game this morning. (Another thing to HATE the EFL for. Flying at the same time as the scandalously arranged tie at Villa Park you'd have just loved to have been at.). And WOW!!!!!
That was the best 5-0 defeat you've ever seen.
Villa had NO right to be 4 up at half-time. They had three shots on goal. Had a massive slice of luck with an utterly mad deflection the second. Whilst their goalie (the MOTM by a Country mile BTW which tells the main story of the game), made a string of superb saves. The young lads were exceptionally unlucky to have even been behind at half-time. Just the difference between veteran experience and a massive dollop of luck going their way.
And what made the young Reds performance on the night that much more ridiculous was they never caved at half-time down 4 and if anything got even better the second half. A real testament to everyone on the clubs staff that the youngest side the clubs ever fielded in a competitive game in its entire 127-year history embodied everything the first team does on a weekly basis. Total fight and commitment for the full duration with the same style (pressing/ the shape/ passing triangles all over the park et al) that runs right through the football club at every level.
The stats speak for themselves-
A L'pool 18 containing three 16-year-olds, with no less than 8 players making their senior debuts, in a starting XI that wasn't even a U23 side. But the youngest of young combined U23/18/17/ 16 eligible side, the youngest the club has ever fielded (the average age of the starting XI's was 19.5 years Liverpool's young guns compared to Villa's International filled, experienced side averaging 28.09 years), and a starting XI with the fewest combined first-team appearances in Liverpool's entire history (16); TOTALLY out-playing an Aston Villa side to the tune of-
Possession: 57.2%- 42.8 %.
637 passes to Villas 469. (550/392 accuracy.). 11 key passes to Villas 8.
15 shots to Villas 11. (8/7 on target.).
7 corners to Villas 2.
In context, that was an absolutely phenomenal display from Critchley's charges in the furthest thing from a 5-0 defeat imaginable. The natural difference being Villa's vast experience in taking their limited chances. With most all the luck and bounce of the ball in the game rolling their way too.
As you mentioned d, no wonder Smith and Terry went out of their way (props to them for that) to go the changies and applaud the kids for how well they played and just what a tough game they gave Villa.
Massive kudos to the 5,000 strong away contingent too who not only made the journey to Villa in such numbers for no-win situation game, just before Chrimbo. But who never stopped supporting the young kids for the full 90 with an outstanding display of vocal those young boys will NEVER forgt. (Sidenote- LOVED the destroying of Boris and the Torries too which came over loud and clear.).
Strange to say after exiting the competition with a 5-0 defeat, but you couldn't fail to be prouder of the young lads and just what they displayed on the night which made it worth talking about now.
And I didn't even get into just a genuine phenom Harvey Elliott is ......
