Injury-hit Liverpool were left to rue a disappoint first-half showing as they were dumped out of the FA Youth Cup on a difficult evening at Ipswich Town.
Two goals from Rio Morgan sent a young Reds side tumbling to a 2-0 reverse at Portman Road in their fifth round tie on Friday night.
Marc Bridge-Wilkinson, the under-18s coach, was already without a number of key forwards when Jayden Danns, who was initially named in the starting line-up, was forced to drop to the bench shortly before kick-off, leaving Liverpool with no recognised striker.
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Bobby Clark, who featured in the last round at Port Vale, was again the stand-out for the Reds, for whom Stefan Bajcetic and Ben Doak were eligible but remained with the first team.
The tone for a damaging first half was set inside the opening 17 seconds when Liverpool goalkeeper Luke Hewitson was forced to deny Nico Valentine after the Ipswich man was sent clear. Hewitson then saved well from Gerrard Buabo, but the home side were deservedly ahead on 11 minutes when Hewitson saved brilliantly from Osman Foyo but was helpless to prevent Morgan from firing in the rebound from close range.
Woody Williamson in the Ipswich goal offered the visitors encouragement with some erratic decision-making, Clark heading over after the keeper misjudged a Kone-Doherty cross. But with Liverpool's defending lacking conviction, Ipswich created the better chances, Buabo hitting the bar from close range before, in first-half injury time, Morgan jinked beyond Francis Gyimah and fired in beyond Hewitson at the near post.
Morgan struck the crossbar for Ipswich shortly after the break but with Danns on at the interval and followed shortly afterwards by Elijah Gift, Liverpool were much more dangerous going forward with Gift twice threatening.
However, the visitors missed an opportunity to set up a grandstand finish on 74 minutes when, after Tommy Pilling was fouled inside the area, skipper Terence Miles saw his penalty saved by Williamson.
Liverpool U18s are next in action on Saturday week when they entertain Derby County in the U18 Premier League North (kick-off 12pm).
LIVERPOOL U18s: Hewitson; Davidson, Miles, Hayes-Green, Gyimah (Danns 46); Pilling, Laffey, Onanuga (Gift 55); Kone-Doherty, Clark, Scanlon. Subs: Pennington, Trueman, Pinnington, Morrison, Pitt.
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