Stephenson sets the tone
It was an all-action display from Luca Stephenson at the Academy on Wednesday evening as Barry Lewtas’ side earned a 2-0 victory over Dinamo Zagreb in the Premier League International Cup.
Captaining the Reds against their Croatian opponents, the 19-year-old was at the heart of a strong Liverpool display and limited the visitors to mere scraps within the final third alongside fellow central defender Lee Jonas.
Capable of operating both in midfield and defence, Stephenson relished slotting in at centre-back by committing himself to challenges all over the pitch and demonstrated his impressive range of passing on multiple occasions during the contest.
Liverpool are up and running in the Premier League International Cup, and the Sunderland-born star certainly set Lewtas’ side on their way to three points in Group C.
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Musialowski misfortune
Wednesday’s fixture was, in many ways, somewhat of an audition for Mateusz Musialowski. While the likes of Melkamu Frauendorf and Layton Stewart were at Anfield representing the first-team, an entirely different challenge was on the agenda in Kirkby.
The 19-year-old has attracted attention ever since joining the Reds’ Academy in 2020, attempting to live up to his ‘Polish Messi’ nickname. While there have been moments of brilliance from the forward, finding consistency has proven to be a stumbling block.
Musialowski was too often guilty of attempting to take on several players at his own will to little effect against Dinamo Zagreb, resulting in cries of 'Matty!' from frustrated members of the coaching staff standing on the sidelines.
If opportunities in Jurgen Klopp’s side are to come the way of the youngster in future, the Polish teenager will know it is down to him to let his feet do the talking.
Koumas continues scoring streak
Lewis Koumas reached double figures for goals this season in some style at the Academy, unleashing an unstoppable effort into the top left corner past Dorian Klarin. And the 17-year-old attacker could well have added to his tally on Wednesday evening, spurning two opportunities during the first-half to build on his opener.
Dinamo defended strongly as a unit throughout the contest but were left with no chance when Koumas’ quick-thinking on the edge of the area saw the Reds take an early lead.
Having kicked off his season with four goals in one game against Middlesbrough for the under-18s, followed by strikes against Ajax and Napoli the UEFA Youth League, this was the latest contribution in what is quickly shaping up to be a campaign to remember.
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