Liverpool U21s Were ‘No Mugs’ Insists Chesterfield Coach | OneFootball

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Chesterfield first team coach Gary Roberts thinks Liverpool Under-21s were ‘no mugs’ on Tuesday night in the EFL Trophy and had some quality players in the ranks.

Liverpool Under-21s’ side, managed by Rob Page, took on Chesterfield in an EFL Trophy encounter, which was the last in the group for both teams.

Calvin Ramsey led the Liverpool youth side on Tuesday and it was Kaide Gordon, who the Reds were keen to loan out in the summer with Blackpool interested, who scored two goals in 90 minutes to get the game to penalties, where the Reds won it 11-10.

Due to the rules of the tournament, Liverpool only managed to secure one point from the game by winning the fixture on penalties and Chesterfield qualified for the next round.

Roberts is of the view that Chesterfield were the better side despite Liverpool fielding a side with individuals like Ramsey, Gordon and Michael Laffy, who have been in and around the Reds first-team.

The Chesterfield first team coach stated that Liverpool have always produced good players from their academy system and stressed that the players involved for the Merseyside outfit on Tuesday were not to be taken lightly.

“I thought we were the better team”, Roberts told Chesterfield’s in-house media (4:10).

“I really thought in the second half we really pushed on.

“We got two goals and we could have added a couple more, but Liverpool, they have always produced players.

“I think Gordon the kid was involved; young Laffy was on the bench against Crystal Palace, and Ramsey, who they paid a lot of money for as a boy… that’s him and he has been involved in and around the first team.

“So they were no mugs; they are some good players and some of the good young players coming through, but I did think we were the better team and it is just disappointing with the goals we gave away on a night which was really disappointing.” 

Liverpool paid good money to sign Ramsey from Aberdeen in 2022 but he has failed to nail down a spot in the first team and the second half of last season he spent on loan with Kilmarnock with Derek McInnes insisting that the 22-year-old has real quality.

Gordon is another player who is highly rated at Liverpool but failed to make his mark on his last two loan spells, with Norwich City and Portsmouth, respectively.