Euro Joy For Starlets

Adam Morgan came off the bench to fire a brace and help keep Liverpool's NextGen Series hopes alive in a 3-0 victory over Molde at Anfield on Thursday night.

The striker, introduced into the action at half-time, displayed great poise to find the back of the net after Michael Ngoo's pass had sent him one-on-one with the Norwegian's goalkeeper on 67 minutes.

Morgan then claimed a second on 90 minutes with a magnificent lobbed finish from 20 yards before Toni Silva stabbed home in stoppage time to secure the points.

It was just rewards for a dominant display from the Reds, in which they also rattled the woodwork on two occasions.

The win means Rodolfo Borrell's side now have a fighting chance of securing qualification from Group 2 of the NextGen Series with one game to go.

Having picked up a point from their two home games so far in the competition, Liverpool were well aware of the importance of securing three points in front of the Kop in their penultimate group stage fixture.

Last week's 2-0 defeat in Wolfsburg was harsh on the young Reds, but a victory over Molde - the team they dispatched so comprehensively by four goals in Norway - would keep alive Borrell's men's hopes of qualification ahead of the final match against Sporting Lisbon in Portugal next month.

After a bright start by Molde on an unusually humid evening in L4, Liverpool soon began to take the game to their guests with a succession of corners and free-kicks.

Indeed, only a fine save from Silvert Beinset prevented Ryan McLaughlin from opening the scoring after the full-back sauntered into the box and struck a powerful low drive towards goal.

The Molde 'keeper repeated the trick soon after, clawing Ngoo's towering header away from danger on the goalline following Suso's corner.

With Kenny Dalglish and Damien Comolli amongst the interested spectators, Silva went closer still to breaking the deadlock. The forward cut in from the right and cannoned an effort against the base of the post.

The rebound fell for the No.7 again on the edge of the box, and he saw a second attempt repelled by the sprawling Beinset.

It was all Liverpool and, as the clock on the Anfield scoreboard reached 28 minutes, a trademark weave into the box from Raheem Sterling resulted in the winger grazing the top of the crossbar with his curler.

Sterling was enjoying a lively evening, but 10 minutes later he was left holding his head in his hands and wondering how he hadn't scored when Suso's majestic through ball sent him bearing down on goal, but the boot of Beinset ensured parity remained intact heading into half-time.

With his side desperately needing a cutting edge in attack, Borrell opted to introduce Morgan into affairs during the interval - though it was Ngoo who had the first attempt of the half when he steered Sterling's low free-kick goalwards, but Molde were able to scramble to safety.

Next, a typically rangy surge into the area saw the No.9 cannon a left-foot strike off the underside of the bar. Sterling quickly worked the ball back into the danger zone, where Morgan's shot was deflected wide.

From the resulting corner, Conor Coady picked up possession on the edge of the area and fashioned space for a shooting chance, which Beinset turned over.

Silva was next to threaten on the hour, twisting and turning inside a packed area before drilling into the Kop.

A goal for the hosts appeared inevitable - and it finally arrived on 67 minutes.

Ngoo's pass sliced open the Molde defence, sending Morgan bounding down on goal. The striker retained his composure and slipped the ball into the bottom corner with his left boot.

It was no more than Liverpool deserved for their dominance - and they continued to test Beinset in the closing stages of the contest.

Molde were finally undone again in the last minute when Morgan pounced upon a wayward pass and found the net with a lob from distance.

Then, in injury time, Silva tricked his way into the box and stabbed home to give the scoreline a more emphatic look and put the seal on a win that could prove invaluable in determining the outcome of the Reds' NextGen Series aspirations.