CRAIG LINDFIELD’S two goals and a late stunner from Jimmy Ryan helped Liverpool Youth secure a second successive FA Youth Cup final place in a 3-1 second-leg victory over Newcastle United at Anfield last night.
The Youth Cup holders eventually went through fairly comfortably 7-3 on aggregate. But it was anything but straight-forward as they had to come from behind in a match in which both sides were reduced to 10 men.
In a lively and competitive – but never nasty – tie, the dismissals of Liverpool’s Astrit Adjarevic and Newcastle’s Kazenga Lua-Lua, both appeared harsh.
Steve Heighway and John Owens’s side will now face either Arsenal or Manchester United in a two-legged final. The Gunners have a 1-0 first-leg lead from last week’s Emirates Stadium clash ahead of the second leg at Old Trafford on April 2.
Holding a 4-2 advantage from the first leg at St James’ Park, Liverpool had to guard against complacency. As in last year’s final against Manchester City and the first team’s Champions League clash with Barcelona, having a first-leg lead can be a tricky situation for a side to be in.
In last year’s final, in which almost half of last night’s squad featured, Liverpool were penned back from the off by Manchester City and just hung on. But as Rafael Benitez’s side had against Barcelona, Liverpool took the match to their North East visitors and dominated early possession.
Three minutes in Liverpool had a perfect chance to kill the tie. Ryan slipped Scottish forward Ryan Flynn through on goal, but Newcastle keeper Mark Cook forced him wide before blocking his shot from a tight angle.
Ryan, who had scored three times on the run to the semi-final, was the chief threat, drifting into dangerous areas all over the pitch from his right-sided midfield role. He fizzed one shot wide and set up Lindfield, but the striker couldn’t get a volley on target from his right-wing cross.
Newcastle managed their first effort on target on 13 minutes but Hansen turned Andy Carroll’s fierce drive around. And from the corner captain Jay Spearing came to Liverpool’s rescue as the Wirral-born defender headed off the line and against his own bar from Ryan Donaldson’s header.
The visitors took the lead when captain Rob Cavener headed home from close range following Godsmark’s right-wing corner on 29 minutes.
Ray Putterill, who had played an influential role in the quarter-final victory at Sheffield United, looked dangerous at times. And three minutes into the second half he helped put Liverpool level. He turned on the left-hand corner of the area and his low shot was spilled by Magpies keeper Cook and a gleeful Lindfield scored almost on the line in the Kop goal.
