Michael Beale's Liverpool U21s suffered their first defeat of the season, as their unbeaten run came to an end when they hosted Patrick Viera's Manchester City development squad.

Having come into the game on the back of their first win of the season, City started off much the better team and the Reds found themselves two goals down before seven minutes as they got off to the worst start possible. In the fifth minute, winger Brandon Barker rounded Danny Ward in the Liverpool goal after reaching a long ball first and he squared for striker Jordi Hiwula, who unselfishly played a pass to Thierry Ambrose at the back post to open the scoring. Within two minutes, it was 2-0 courtesy of Sinan Bytyqi. The midfielder drove at the heart of the defence in a fantastic solo run before firing a low left-footed shot which hit the inside of the post and rippled the net, leaving the hosts' shellshocked.

The lead could have been built upon even more on the 14th minute, when Barker picked out Oliver Ntcham, who forced a stunning save out of Ward with his powerful strike from the edge of the box. It was Barker who continued to trouble the Reds' defence, bursting down the left flank before cutting inside and unleashing a shot that brushed the post. 

Half-time couldn't come quick enough for the young Reds and whatever Michael Beale said worked perfectly, as they responded quickly after the interval. Within seconds of the restart, Adam Phillips attempted a sumptuous 25-yard volley but it crashed off the top of the bar and flew out. However, he didn't have to wait long for his goal when he picked up possession inside the City box and drilled an effort past Ian Lawlor to half the deficit.

It didn't take too long for Phillips to score again and level proceedings. After Ambrose almost restored a two goal advantage for the visitors, the clinical 16-year-old was the first to react to Joe Maguire's cross and pounced upon another loose ball to make it 2-2. 

Unfortunately, the deadlock was brief and City were back in front within three minutes when Mathias Bossaerts rose highest to powerfully head past Ward having connected with Ashley Smith-Brown’s cross. After a frantic start, the tempo settled but Smith-Brown found himself instrumental again. Samed Yesil rounded the keeper, before shooting on goal but the City man did excellently to get there to head it over the crossbar after an equaliser looked inevitable.

It was a crucial clearance, and Hiwula made sure it mattered after he made it 4-2 not long after. With the goal of the night, the striker picked up the ball from 25-yards out and turned on goal before firing an unstoppable effort straight into the top corner to all but seal the victory. 

With only a matter of minutes remaining, Harry Wilson made it just 4-3 after taking advantage of good work from German forward Yesil to set up a tense finale. It was almost a dream ending for the home side, when Sheyi Ojo's long-range effort looked goalbound but Lawlor produced a terrific save to secure the points. 

The back-to-back victories mean Manchester City rise to second in the league, behind Chelsea, whilst the Reds sit in 5th on seven points. Next up for Beale's youngsters, they travel across Stanley Park to take on fierce rivals Everton at Goodison Park on October 5th, and it's sure to be a good one. 

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About the author
Charlie Malam
Digital Sports Writer at the Daily Express. First-class Staffordshire University Sports Journalism graduate. Formerly VAVEL UK's Liverpool FC editor and Deputy Editor-in-Chief. Contributor since June 2014.