Whether it's the senior side or the Academy teams, Manchester City presently remain the barometer by which Liverpool's domestic success can be judged.
And a young Reds side was given a tough examination when edged out in a seven-goal thriller against their North West rivals in the Under-18 Premier League North at Kirkby on Saturday.
A brace from Lewis Koumas and an assist of sorts in charging down a goalkeeper clearance to provide Trent Kone-Doherty a goal were the highlights on a difficult afternoon for Marc Bridge-Wilkinson's side.
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They were leading 3-1 midway through the second half when impressive wingers Kone-Doherty and Ben Doak - who created the second for Koumas - were substituted, with City subsequently scoring three times to complete an impressive comeback.
In truth, such was the visitors' dominance of possession for the majority of the game, there were few complaints over the final outcome with Kone-Doherty and Doak replaced as part of their ongoing integration having both arrived at Liverpool in the summer.
"That was pre-planned," says Bridge-Wilkinson. "Given their exploits in midweek (in the UEFA Youth League win over Ajax), we are being very careful with them both. They have come from elsewhere in the summer so it's really important we continue to look after them and build them into our programme of games and training.
"What they did in midweek was really good and I thought both gave a good account of themselves against City. We still have lots to do with both of them, as we do with all of the boys. We're looking forward to them getting back on the pitch and doing it again."
With Trent Alexander-Arnold watching from the sidelines, Koumas - who spent much of last season playing in midfield before starting the season up front - moved on to eight goals for the campaign. "He affects games and that's what you want to do as a footballer," says Bridge-Wilkinson. "Whatever position you play, you have to find a way to do that. Louie, to his credit, is doing that really well."
Koumas, son of former Tranmere Rovers and Wales international Jason, wasn't the only famous surname on the scoresheet. Jaden Heskey, whose father is ex-Liverpool and England forward Emile, came off the bench to draw City level at 3-3.
Liverpool named a young starting line-up including U16s midfielders Carter Pinnington and Kieran Morrison, with Bridge-Wilkinson acknowledging it was a landmark afternoon for the duo.
"That was probably as tough a game as they have experienced until now, playing in the 18s on the main pitch at the Academy against a City team that performed really well," he says. "It's a great experience for them and overall they handled it really well. You can't expect them to go in and dominate games. They've gone in and done what was asked of them. They didn't give up and carried on right to the final whistle."
Bridge-Wilkinson adds: "When you play a City team, you have an idea of what to expect and they certainly lived up to the tag they have got. They were really good with the ball.
"When we got up to a 3-1 lead, maybe it flattered us a bit. But we were quite clinical with the way we played at the top end of the pitch. Obviously we did quite well up to a point, but the last quarter of the game was very tough. The fact City had all the ball wears you down a bit and our players start to lose a bit of focus, so it was a tough final 25 minutes."
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