Liverpool's hopes of topping Barclays Premier Reserve League Northern Group B are over following a narrow 1-0 defeat at Manchester City on Monday night.
A 45th minute penalty from John Guidetti was enough to give the hosts the victory in what proved to be a dour affair at Hyde United's Ewen Fields.
The result means Pep Segura's side remain four points behind leaders Blackburn Rovers with just one game left to play.
Ahead of the contest the Spaniard had spoken of the selection dilemma facing him following the injuries at first-team level and the back log of U18 fixtures.
It meant the second-string were short of key personnel and their hopes were further hampered by a lack of attacking options that saw Nicolaj Kohlert start in an unfamiliar role up front.
The Reds had beaten their hosts at the same venue in a Lancashire Senior Cup clash back in January but a repeat was always going to be a tough ask against a powerful City side.
The home team enjoyed the lion's share of possession but struggled to trouble Martin Hansen in the early stages with Abdul Razak's poorly executed volley the best they could muster.
Jeremy Helan then crashed a long range effort well wide of the near post before Hansen was finally called into action when he did well to parry Guidetti's shot on the turn.
Chances had been at a premium but Suso threatened to bring a halt to the banality when he cut in from the right and brought a fine save out of Tobias Johansen in the City goal.
It had been a somewhat forgettable first 45 but just as it seemed the two teams would go in all-square City were awarded a spot-kick.
Andre Wisdom was adjudged to have pushed Guidetti to the floor on the far side of the area, leaving the Swedish front man to step up and calmly strike the ball into the bottom left-hand corner.
Segura would have urged his charges to offer more in the attacking third following the interval and they did show more urgency in their play without causing the City rearguard any real trouble.
Once again opportunities were few and far between with efforts from Conor Thomas and Thomas Ince the closest the visitors came to troubling the scoresheet.
With time running out Segura introduced both Conor Coady and the semi-fit Nikola Saric from the bench but it was City who looked more dangerous with Hansen forced to keep out Guidetti's venomous strike.
Ince then curled a free-kick over the top and Suso tested Johansen as Liverpool pushed in the dying embers of the game but it was not enough to salvage the draw that would have kept their title hopes alive.
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