Liverpool suffered more European heartache after their hopes of UEFA Youth League glory were controversially ended in Portugal.
A debated strike from Rodrigo Ribeiro midway through the second half consigned the young Reds to a 1-0 quarter-final defeat against Sporting Lisbon here at the Stadium Aurelio Pereira on Tuesday afternoon.
It was the third time Liverpool - who lost Ben Doak early on with a suspected concussion - have fallen at the last eight in the competition. But they exited with their heads high after a defiant performance that perhaps deserved more reward.
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With Lewis Koumas suspended and both Oakley Cannonier and Trent Kone-Doherty injured, Liverpool were forced to be creative with their forward line. Doak and Melkamu Frauendorf were positioned out wide with James McConnell tasked with arriving through the centre from an advanced midfield role.
While the sunny conditions were perfect for football, the hard pitch was not. And the Reds suffered a major setback when they lost Doak after just eight minutes, the winger suffering a sickening head injury after a clash with Sporting defender Joao Muniz.
Liverpool took a little while to regroup and home midfielder Samuel Justo dropped a header on to the roof of the net from a left-wing cross. The Reds, though, began to win a succession of corners and free kicks around the Sporting area, with the Portuguese side defending well from Dom Corness's dangerous deliveries.
Luca Stephenson had a shot blocked on the turn and McConnell fired over from range with team-mates well-placed for a pass, but Sporting finished the half the stronger with Afonso Moreira dragging a shot wide having been sent clear and then denied by a good save from Liverpool goalkeeper Harvey Davies from a similar position.
The Reds had their best chance on the hour, Frauendorf robbing Sporting centre-back Gilberto Batista before his close-range angled shot was repelled by Sporting goalkeeper Diego Callai who, after the ball was then kept alive by the visitors, fumbled a shot by McConnell before clearing at the second attempt.
But the decisive moment came on 65 minutes when a long ball over the top from David Monteiro sent Sporting striker Ribeiro racing away and, despite Liverpool centre-back Lee Jonas clearly being blocked off as he attempted to race back, the forward struck beyond Davies.
A superb tackle from Muniz prevented substitute Keyrol Figueroa from being released inside the area by Bobby Clark's pass as Liverpool sought a dramatic late equaliser, but Sporting just about held on.
LIVERPOOL (4-3-1-2): Davies; Davidson, Miles, Jonas, Scanlon; Stephenson, Corness, Clark; McConnell; Doak (Young 8 (Figueroa 73)), Frauendorf. Subs not used: Hewitson, Danns, Laffey, Gift, Osborne. BOOKING: Davidson, Corness, Figueroa.
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