It was all treats and no tricks as Liverpool Under 18s returned to winning ways in emphatic fashion on Saturday afternoon, scoring seven second-half goals to sweep aside Sunderland 7-0 at the AXA Kirkby Academy.

Simon Wiles’ side had gone four matches without a victory across all competitions heading into the fixture, but produced a devastating and ruthless attacking display after the break to secure a convincing three points.

Captain and leading scorer Finn Inglethorpe led the way with a superb hat-trick to make it nine goals this season, while Erik Farkas helped himself to a brace. Daniel Majekodunmi and Lenix Conde were also on target as Liverpool eventually found their clinical edge.

AJ Yeguo was a constant threat down the left, using his pace and direct running to cause problems for the visitors and was a huge reason for the floodgates opening in the second half.

Seven goals, a clean sheet and a hat-trick for Inglethorpe made for an afternoon to remember for the young Reds, who showed both their attacking quality and clinical edge after the interval.

There were also encouraging performances elsewhere, with Dara Jikiemi making his first competitive start for the U18s and impressing alongside Joe Dixon in defence, whilst Cam Williams continued his strong return from injury and Hayden Murray-Holme also stood out in the midfield.

Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk was spotted among those watching on as Wiles’ side secured an impressive victory after a difficult run of results and will take plenty of confidence from a performance that saw them combine an impressive attacking display with defensive solidity.

Liverpool v Arsenal | Premier League Match Preview

After the match, Dan spoke to Under-18s boss Simon Wiles…

On the performance: “I thought it was probably the most we’ve managed to control a game in the opposition’s half. I think that was really evident in the first half. I thought we got into those areas really well.

“For us, it was just about trying to find that last action and get a goal. I wouldn’t necessarily say dominance, but I was really pleased with the way we got into the final third.

“The message at half-time was pretty simple: try to take a few more risks with the ball. From our side, I thought the structure underneath the ball was a lot better today, which is something we’ve been working on this week.

“We just wanted to probe a little bit more and look forward a little bit more. We thought we switched play really well, but again, it was about finding that last action which would ultimately open them up. We knew that if we could get that first goal, it would give us something to build on in the second half.

“We were pleased with the first-half performance. There were elements of what we’ve been working on in training coming out in the game. We felt that if we could get that first goal, we could build more attacks, increase the pace in the final third and create more chances, which is ultimately what we did.”

On the frontline: ‘I said at half-time that I felt it was going to take something special to get us off the mark.

“I thought the ball from Eric, the timing of Finn’s run and the quality of the finish were outstanding. Finn had to arrive between the centre-halves and get that little glance on it to wrong-foot the goalkeeper. It was fantastic.

“From that moment, I thought you could see the confidence lift in the other players, particularly those in the front line. I was obviously delighted for Daniel as well. Daniel has come back off the back of a really good performance against Manchester United in the U17s a couple of weeks ago. We were always considering whether he was ready to get a run in the team, and he’s done really well. He took his goal from the corner brilliantly.

“You know the threats you have with AJ, and I thought Erik drifted into the pitch really well today. He was fully deserving of his goals, and I thought he had a really good, positive overall performance.”

On AJ Yeguo: “He’s exciting. He’s really exciting. As we’ve spoken about numerous times this season, it’s about connecting that final action when he gets into the final third. His decision-making is starting to improve now.

“He can go on the inside or the outside, which makes it difficult for a full-back. How do you defend that? For us, it’s about continuing to improve him when he comes inside. He was unfortunate not to score today, but he had a couple of chances. Those are areas we can keep working on with him.

“When he goes on the outside, it’s about getting quality balls into the box and making sure he arrives in the box himself.

“There was real excitement in that front line today. I feel like we’ve said that quite a lot this season, but it’s about making sure they have the right structure underneath them.”

On Finn Inglethorpe: “We know what Finn can bring to that front line. When he gets in front of goal, you know what the outcome is going to be.

“For him to get his hat-trick was fantastic, but I also thought his overall performance was excellent. The press from the front line was really impressive.

“I’ve also got to mention Lenix, because I thought he was outstanding today. With what we were asking Eric to do, moving across to their left-sided centre-half, the work rate we needed from Lenny to press their full-back was a big ask. They did it really well.

“I thought their winger was a threat, and Lenie had a really good battle with him. Their number seven was a handful. It was a really good test because, from a defensive point of view, Lenie had to be right on his game to make sure we nullified that threat. I thought he did that really well, and he was also deserving of his goal.”

Liverpool NEED to Sign Araújo PERMANENTLY!

On the clean sheet: “That was one of the things we wanted to come into the game and achieve. We wanted a clean sheet, and that’s something we’ve been craving as a staff. It’s something we’ve been working tirelessly towards, so I’m absolutely delighted for the whole back five, including Matty, to achieve that.

“For me, it was also nice to see Cam Williams get pretty much a full game. We had Lenny and Cam playing in their natural full-back positions, with the centre-halves playing in their usual positions as well. We’ve had a few players filling in in different areas recently, so it was really nice to have that.

“I felt the back line had a really good feel to it today. I’m delighted for them to keep that clean sheet and continue defending right until the last moment.

“On the flip side, seeing a full-back overlap in the 90th minute to cross for Lenny was fantastic. It was full-back to full-back in the 90th minute. We can only do that if we have the right structure underneath the ball, with Ellis Hickman and Hayden in there, and Joe and Dara doing their work at the back.

“So, no, I was delighted from start to finish. It was a really, really good performance.”

On Cam Williams: “He’s been fantastic. It’s been a journey for him to get to this point because, obviously, last season was very stop-start. I think we had two 45-minute appearances from him last year, didn’t we?

“We’ve been making sure we do things properly with the medical team, managing where he can get his minutes and how he gets them. Today was an opportunity to give him a full game, and he just cramped up towards the end. That was the only reason we brought him off.

“I’ve been delighted with him. His game intelligence is excellent; he knows his position, he’s comfortable on the ball and, when he gets into one-v-one situations, he’s really aggressive.

“I’ve been delighted with his performance today. All the staff are pleased that he’s reached this stage of his return to play, where he’s now getting full games under his belt.

On Dara Jikiemi: “He’s settled in really well. He came to us off the back of an injury, so it was important for us to get him back up to speed and build up his training minutes before exposing him to our competitions.

“He was another player who featured in the U17s game against Manchester United. There were moments throughout that game that really intrigued me and made me think about where we could take him, particularly in terms of getting him into his first start for the U18s.

“Since then, his training has been improving. We’ve been focusing on making sure he continues to think like a defender, which I think is really important.

“Sometimes, when we attack, defenders can get drawn into the attacking play. But we have to think like defenders and consider the worst-case scenario. I thought Dara did that really well today.

“He deserved his start based on how he applied himself against Manchester United in the U17s game, as well as the improvements he’s shown in training and his performances. I’m just delighted that his first start has resulted in a clean sheet. I’m really pleased for him.”

On Josh Abe’s injury return: “He’s been integrated back into training.

“That’s where he’s at now. I briefly saw him out on the training pitch yesterday, so it’s good to see that he’s getting closer. Hopefully, he won’t be too far away from getting some game time and building himself back up to full speed.”