Liverpool too hot for Villa kids

Daniel Johnson scored a late penalty as a youthful Villa reserve team were comfortably beaten by a clinical Liverpool second string at Villa Park.

With a number of Villa's regular backup players having been promoted to the first team squad during a recent injury crisis, reserve team boss Kevin MacDonald named a side without a minute of Premier League experience between them.

Villa began positively but found themselves a goal down when Nathan Eccleston coolly finished past Benji Siegrist after a great pass from Michael Roberts.

Two minutes before the break Raheem Sterling, a thorn in the Villa defence all night, delivered a low left wing cross to Suso who doubled Liverpool's advantage.

The Reds controlled the game after the interval and effectively made the points safe three minutes into the second half when Ryan McLaughlin steered the ball home after Siegrist pushed Eccleston's effort onto the post.

Villa bagged a consolation goal with eight minutes left when Jack Grealish was too quick for Conor Coady who brought him down in the box and Johnson blasted past Danny Ward.

But Liverpool sprung the counter-attack in stoppage time and Sterling, in acres of space, squared to Michael Ngoo to tap into an empty net.

Villa remain six points clear of second-placed Albion – who have two games in hand – in Premier League Reserve League South table.

Villa: Siegrist; Webb, Donacien, Williams, Stevens; Grealish, Carruthers, Johnson Cameron (Graham 64); Burke (Robinson 64), Drennan. Subs not used: Ward, Kinsella, Barrett (gk)

Liverpool: Ward, McLaughlin (Smith 90), Mendy, Sama, Wisdom, Coady, Suso, Roberts, Eccleston (Ngoo 80), Adorjan, Sterling. Subs not used: McGiveron, Roddan, Belford (gk)