Liverpool Academy Update: Wright Hatrick Continues Unbeaten League Run.

A hat-trick from Will Wright helped Liverpool’s U19S to another impressive result in the UEFA Youth League.

Liverpool U19S continued their unbeaten start to the UEFA Youth League this week with an entertaining 5-3 win over Fenerbahce in Turkey. Will Wright opened the scoring after just three minutes, heading home Joe Upton’s free-kick at the back post. The striker doubled Liverpool’s advantage from the penalty spot just 11 minutes later after several Reds players were brought down from a corner. Fenerbahce quickly pulled one back through Emin Sayar, but Liverpool restored their two-goal cushion through Josh Sonni-Lambie. Finn Inglethorpe dropped deep before threading the ball in behind the defence, allowing Sonni-Lambie to round the goalkeeper and finish calmly. Inglethorpe then made it 4-1 himself in the 27th minute. Wright broke down the right before unselfishly finding the U18 captain for a simple finish from close range. Sayar scored his second before half-time to reduce the deficit to 4-2.

Fenerbahce threatened a comeback when Baran Yolacan made it 4-3 in the second half. However, Liverpool responded almost immediately. Luca Eden drove through midfield before producing a perfectly weighted pass for Wright, who finished first time to complete his second Youth League hat-trick of the season.
Wright now has 13 goals in 12 appearances across all competitions this season. His fine form has also earned him his first England youth call-up, with the striker selected for the U19S European Championship qualifiers against Slovenia, Belarus, and Austria. The victory means Liverpool remain unbeaten after four Youth League games, with two wins and two draws. Their next European fixture is away against Club Brugge on November 25th. Simon Wiles’ U18S also picked up a victory this week, beating Ipswich Town 2-1 in the U18 Premier League Cup.

Zak Coxon opened the scoring with an excellent individual goal in the 10th minute. The forward collected the ball inside his own half before driving towards the Ipswich penalty area and finding the net. Liverpool doubled their advantage just before half-time through Haydn Murray-Holme. The Ipswich goalkeeper’s clearance fell to the midfielder around 40 yards from goal, and he brilliantly lobbed the ball back into the empty net. Matty Wright then produced an important moment after the break, saving Chris Atherton’s penalty to preserve Liverpool’s two-goal lead. Ipswich eventually pulled one back through Joel Ladegbaye, who scored a long-range lob of his own, but Liverpool held on for the victory. Despite the result, the Reds finished third in Group E and were eliminated from the U18 Premier League Cup. They now have a two-week break before returning to league action away against Stoke City on November 21st.

There was no separate U21S fixture this week, with several of Rob Page’s regular players instead featuring for the U19S in Turkey. The standout academy story therefore remains Wright, who continues to score consistently at both U21 and Youth League level. Alongside his second European hat-trick of the season, his first England call-up represents another major step in what has been an excellent start to the campaign.