Goals from David Amoo and substitute Tony Silva secured the points for Rodolfo Borrell's men as they brought a run of two straight defeats to an end with a hard-working display against the Yorkshire outfit.
Having conceded five goals without reply against both Nottingham Forest and Leicester City, confidence was low going into the clash with the Tykes and it was no surprise to see the Reds youngsters make a tentative start to the proceedings.
Barnsley looked the more likely early on and put the home side's rearguard to the test with a series of well worked set pieces. First, Chris Oldfield had to be alert to punch a fierce corner away from underneath his own crossbar while Andre Wisdom was on hand to make two vital interceptions to keep the visitors at bay.
Liverpool needed to get a foothold in the game and on 10 minutes they manufactured the first real opportunity when Amoo powered down the right flank before sending over a cross that Chris Buchtmann came within a whisker of touching home.
It seemed to give the Reds the lift they needed and on 14 minutes the roles reversed to see Amoo guide Buchtmann's pinpoint centre into the back of the net.
The former Millwall starlet has shown glimpses of his promise with the reserves this season and gave another example of his ability to beat defenders minutes later, when he side stepped Liam Reffin and sent in a devilish centre that Michael Ngoo almost guided in with an acrobatic attempt.
At this point the Reds were in total control but an injury to Alex Cooper on 25 minutes disrupted the hosts' flow. After a lengthy delay the midfielder was stretchered off and it took Borrell's men time to re-establish their dominance.
As the half came to an end Liverpool did find their rhythm again and could have easily doubled their advantage. Krisztian Adorjan blazed over from the edge of the box while Ngoo skewed wide when in on goal. Jevan Hodgson then produced heroics in the visitors' goal to touch Adorjan's header onto the bar after another piece of majestic wing play by Amoo.
It was developing into the type of morale-boosting performance the youngsters needed and Ngoo gave the away side a cameo of what was to follow in the second period when he beat two before forcing a smart save out of Hodgson from distance.
The front man was proving to be a real nuisance to the Barnsley defence and was unlucky not to mark a fine display with a goal on 60 minutes when he flashed Buchtmann's cut back inches past the near post.
As chance after chance continued to go begging, Borrell may have started to wonder if it was going to be one of those days for his team, but any fears he may have had were vanquished on 71 minutes when substitute Silva struck the Reds' second after more good approach play by Buchtmann.
Amoo then went close to extending the margin of victory late on as the hosts eased to a comfortable triumph.
Liverpool under-18s: Chris Oldfield, John Flanagan, Jack Robinson, Andre Wisdom, Matty McGiveron, Conor Coady, David Amoo, Alex Cooper (Michael Roberts 25), Michael Ngoo (Tony Silva 67), Krisztian Adorjan (Michael Ihiekwe 73), Chris Buchtmann. Unused subs: Stephen Sama, Deale Chamberlain.
Having conceded five goals without reply against both Nottingham Forest and Leicester City, confidence was low going into the clash with the Tykes and it was no surprise to see the Reds youngsters make a tentative start to the proceedings.
Barnsley looked the more likely early on and put the home side's rearguard to the test with a series of well worked set pieces. First, Chris Oldfield had to be alert to punch a fierce corner away from underneath his own crossbar while Andre Wisdom was on hand to make two vital interceptions to keep the visitors at bay.
Liverpool needed to get a foothold in the game and on 10 minutes they manufactured the first real opportunity when Amoo powered down the right flank before sending over a cross that Chris Buchtmann came within a whisker of touching home.
It seemed to give the Reds the lift they needed and on 14 minutes the roles reversed to see Amoo guide Buchtmann's pinpoint centre into the back of the net.
The former Millwall starlet has shown glimpses of his promise with the reserves this season and gave another example of his ability to beat defenders minutes later, when he side stepped Liam Reffin and sent in a devilish centre that Michael Ngoo almost guided in with an acrobatic attempt.
At this point the Reds were in total control but an injury to Alex Cooper on 25 minutes disrupted the hosts' flow. After a lengthy delay the midfielder was stretchered off and it took Borrell's men time to re-establish their dominance.
As the half came to an end Liverpool did find their rhythm again and could have easily doubled their advantage. Krisztian Adorjan blazed over from the edge of the box while Ngoo skewed wide when in on goal. Jevan Hodgson then produced heroics in the visitors' goal to touch Adorjan's header onto the bar after another piece of majestic wing play by Amoo.
It was developing into the type of morale-boosting performance the youngsters needed and Ngoo gave the away side a cameo of what was to follow in the second period when he beat two before forcing a smart save out of Hodgson from distance.
The front man was proving to be a real nuisance to the Barnsley defence and was unlucky not to mark a fine display with a goal on 60 minutes when he flashed Buchtmann's cut back inches past the near post.
As chance after chance continued to go begging, Borrell may have started to wonder if it was going to be one of those days for his team, but any fears he may have had were vanquished on 71 minutes when substitute Silva struck the Reds' second after more good approach play by Buchtmann.
Amoo then went close to extending the margin of victory late on as the hosts eased to a comfortable triumph.
Liverpool under-18s: Chris Oldfield, John Flanagan, Jack Robinson, Andre Wisdom, Matty McGiveron, Conor Coady, David Amoo, Alex Cooper (Michael Roberts 25), Michael Ngoo (Tony Silva 67), Krisztian Adorjan (Michael Ihiekwe 73), Chris Buchtmann. Unused subs: Stephen Sama, Deale Chamberlain.
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