Liverpool might not have won their Premier League tie against Southampton and subsequently lost their place at the top of the league table but they did win their match in the Premier League 2.
The competition had replaced the U21 division of the Premier League and the Reds picked up a victory over Reading at Prenton Park. Although the competition is basically to play U23 players, each side can field up to 3 over age players and Mamadou Sakho also got a run out for the side.
The former PSG defender wasn’t the only scorer in the game as Ben Woodburn got the second goal of the game as the Reds ran out 2-0 winners. The match even had a telling contribution from another Liverpool youngster tipped for great things and that was Ovie Ejaria.
That’s full-time! #LFCU23s seal a 2-0 victory over #ReadingFCU23s! pic.twitter.com/mt1MsMMZQP
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) November 20, 2016
The Reds continued their impressive run in the competition as well and they sit behind leaders Everton. The Toffees are ahead by three points from their long-time rivals in Division 1 of the competition and it surely will be a great contest to see who tops at the end of the campaign.
Sakho a surprise selection for Liverpool
It certainly is a bit of a surprise seeing Sakho play regularly for the Premier League 2 side but this does mean he is match fit and can help out the side if there is a requirement. That does seem highly unlikely since he fell out of favour with Jurgen Klopp and has been banished from the first team.
The defender possibly was given more playing time to showcase that he can fit into any side and is surely set to leave the club in the winter window. A range of Ligue 1 clubs have been linked with a move for the French defender and even Mario Balotelli has asked Sakho to join him.
Nice are currently on top of the French league and Balotelli has played a huge part in that. The former AC Milan and Inter Milan star has been great for Lucian Favre’s side and they look good to break the monopoly that PSG have had for a number of years on the title.
The other youngsters on display certainly got some really good playing time and they certainly will come in handy during the New Year games. The Reds might have lost out on top spot but they did play pretty well and hopefully, they will reclaim the position from Chelsea sooner rather than later.
