Liverpool had to sacrifice silverware after injury crisis and Jurgen Klopp request
When Liverpool thrashed Arsenal 7-1 in the FA Youth Cup fourth round in January, there was talk of the young Reds going all the way in the tournament.
Jack Wilshere’s Gunners were beaten finalists last season, after all, but they had been emphatically schooled in Kirkby. Yet after a 3-0 victory over Fulham in the fifth round, Liverpool’s cup campaign ultimately ended prematurely at Elland Road on Thursday night.
A 3-1 loss to Leeds United saw the young Reds exit the competition at the quarter-final stage, denying them a semi-final meeting with Millwall at the Academy. Manchester City would likely be the opposition in the final, should they overcome Bristol City or Swindon Town in the final.
When put down on paper in such terms, this year’s Youth Cup campaign looks like a missed opportunity for Liverpool’s latest youngsters. They dreamt of following in the footsteps of the likes of Jamie Carragher, Michael Owen and their own academy player-coach, Jay Spearing, in getting their hands on the illustrious trophy.
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Meanwhile, Conor Bradley, Jarell Quansah, Stefan Bajcetic and Tyler Morton were all members of the last Reds group to reach the final in 2021. But while three of that quartet are now established first team players, historically it has been a different story since Carragher and Owen, along with David Thompson, first helped the club win the FA Youth Cup back in 1996.
Winning the trophy back-to-back in 2006 and 2007, Spearing would have the most successful Liverpool from those cup-winning squads. A League Cup winner in 2012, he made 55
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