Barry Lewtas cut a dejected figure after the full-time whistle was blown at the Academy on Monday afternoon as Liverpool under-21s stuttered to a late draw against Brighton & Hove Albion in the Premier League 2.
Having fallen behind to the Seagulls' opening goal just minutes into the second half, the young Reds responded emphatically as Harvey Blair and Layton Stewart struck goals in the space of 16 minutes to turn the game on its head and put Lewtas' side on the brink of a second consecutive league victory.
However, the excellent Cameron Peupion ensured Brighton would have a share of the points for their efforts on Merseyside when he bundled the ball home late on, levelling the game at 2-2.
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Here are the ECHO's takeaways from the four-goal thriller at the AXA Training Centre.
Layton Stewart making up for lost time
Despite being named on the bench for the encounter, Layton Stewart ensured his name was the topic of the post-match debriefs from those in attendance at the AXA Training Centre.
Appearing as a second half substitute for Max Woltman, who struggled up against the physical presence of Brighton defenders Ruairi McConville and Leigh Kavanagh, the Liverpool-born forward provided the young Reds with a much-needed injection of dynamism as he harried his defensive counterparts and made a nuisance of himself with his selfless runs in behind.
Not satisfied with a share of the spoils, manager Barry Lewtas rolled his tactical dice and opted to introduce Stewart, along with Mateusz Musialowski and Tom Hill, with 25 minutes of the game remaining and shortly after Harvey Blair had drawn the young Reds level.
Boasting a towering stature, the 20-year-old allowed Liverpool to alter their approach and saw Ben Doak and Musialowski use his extended frame as a focal point to play off. Thirteen minutes from time, Stewart would extend his remarkable recent run of form to five goals in his last six games since returning from the muscle injury he suffered while part of the first team's mid-season training camp in the Middle East.
Speaking after the victory, Lewtas was full of praise for the Reds' young star and admitted the next steps of Stewart's fledgling career will be discussed during the summer as the forward looks set to spend next season out on loan.
"Listen, I think, with all the No.9s we've had who have endured injuries; Layton, Oakley (Cannonier), Paul (Glatzel), one thing they have all done when they have come back is score goals," Lewtas told the ECHO.
"We're extremely fortunate to have some really good goalscorers at the club and it's important for Layton to continue to develop all aspects of his game. Obviously goalscoring is a hot commodity, isn't it? But I think what's been really good since he come back from injury is that he's been willing to work on other parts of his game as well.
"I think the reality is we've still got a long way to of the season, I know it doesn't feel like it. We'll get through the season and then make some kind decisions on some of the young lads and their future plans."
Game management is a must
After being so dominant over the course of the 90 minutes, it was understandably viewed as two points dropped rather than a point gained as the young Reds trudged off the main pitch at the AXA Training Centre.
Having played in the Premier League International Cup against Crystal Palace approximately 72 hours earlier, it was a quick turnaround for Barry Lewtas' side and one that showed as the game entered the final ten minutes. Despite Brighton's persistence to go toe-to-toe with Liverpool, there was an overriding sense of injustice in the home dressing room as the impressive Cameron Peupion fired a scrappy equaliser for the visitors.
For Liverpool, there was a feeling of what might have been as their refusal to shut up shop proved to be their downfall as they failed to take note of the previous warning signs and later surrendered their 2-1 advantage.
In the absence of former captain and defensive stalwart Jarell Quansah, who is spending the second half of the season on loan at Bristol Rovers in League One, there was a clear need for a drizzle of gamesmanship in and amongst the Liverpool ranks as they fell to the late-sucker punch.
"We are really disappointed and that's what we've just spoken about in the dressing room," added Lewtas. "It feels like a loss. I was disappointed with the goal just after half-time but I thought then we got loads of control.
"I felt it was a little bit uncharacteristic of us in the final 10 minutes and the boys showed maybe little inexperience, in terms of chasing a third. We had full control and a third might have come."
Harvey's Blair-ing display
Lining up alongside Ben Doak and ahead of Bobby Clark, it was always going to take something special for either Max Woltman or Harvey Blair to steal the headlines.
Yet that proved to be no problem for the latter, who was making his first Premier League 2 start since the end of February and rounded off a fine afternoon's work with an eye-catching display at the Academy.
Starting on the left-hand side of the young Reds' three-man attack, the 19-year-old had the beating of Seagulls' full-back Sam Packham all game long. After the opening 15 minutes, Blair had twice skipped past the right-back but failed to pick out any of his team-mates in the box with his resulting crosses.
Struggling on the opposite flank, Doak conferred with Blair before the pair took it upon themselves to switch wings towards the end of the first half in an attempt to get the prolific Scotsman more involved in proceedings. Impressively, even on the right, Blair continued to be a thorn in the Brighton defence.
When Liverpool eventually struck an equaliser midway through the second half, it was fitting that Blair was the man to do so as he coolly slotted home Doak's low-driven cross past Killian Cahill.
After making a surprise first-team debut at the age of 18 when Liverpool played Preston North End in the League Cup fourth round in October 2021, it's fair to say Blair is firmly on the radar of Jurgen Klopp and his coaching staff. But after an injury-stricken campaign for the under-21s, with his latest setback coming in the shape of a broken nose, the forward's next step is a season in the men's game as he looks to piece together his incredibly exciting, yet raw, skillset.
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