Liverpool U19s were denied a winning start in the UEFA Youth League, with Mor Talla Ndiaye and Josh Sonni-Lambie on the scoresheet for Rob Page's side
Liverpool U19s manager Rob Page.
Liverpool U19s manager Rob Page.(Image: Annabel Lee-Ellis/Getty Images)
Fifteen-year-old Luca Eden became the youngest Liverpool starlet to play in the UEFA Youth League as he started in a 2-2 draw with Atletico Madrid in Kirkby.
The record was last broken by Josh Abe last term, and was previously held by Trent Alexander-Arnold and Rio Ngumoha. Eden, who played 72 minutes, is a hugely talented midfielder who was trusted to start by manager Rob Page.
Mor Talla Ndiaye, the center-back who arrived from Senegal earlier this year, scored the opening goal of the contest with a power header from a corner kick. Josh Sonni-Lambie doubled the Reds' lead in the first half with an excellent finish after a good advantage was played by the referee.
Atletico Madrid had started well, with Liverpool goalkeeper Bailey Hall producing a strong early save. Prince Cisse, the son of the former Reds striker Djibril, also cleared an effort off the line.
But Page's side came more and more into the game as the opening 45 minutes progressed. They showed plenty of intensity in their play, with the Liverpool coach barking orders from the sidelines.
Striker Will Wright was captaining the team and wingers Ollie O'Connor and Joe Bradshaw looked lively down the flanks, but Liverpool didn't look that likely to extend its lead.
KIRKBY, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 13: (THE SUN OUT, THE SUN ON SUNDAY OUT) General view of the Liverpool Academy building before the U18 Premier League game at AXA Training Centre on September 13, 2025 in Kirkby, England. (Photo by Nick Taylor/Liverpool FC/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
Several more players went into the book — some for relatively minimal challenges — but Ndiaye and Cisse at the back for Liverpool looked to be keeping Atletico at bay in the main.
With around half an hour to play, though, Joel Sanchez curled a stunning strike into the top corner from the edge of the penalty area.
And while that looked set to be the final goal of the match, Atletico leveled shortly before stoppage time through Adrian Lis-Zielinski's close-range shot from another set-piece. Erik Farkas, the young Hungarian, even had time to hit the post with a low drive.
The young Reds will play LASK, Villarreal, Fenerbahce, Club Brugge and Porto in their remaining group phase matches, matching the senior side's first six Champions League fixtures.
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"It was a great experience for the lads last year and to get through to the knockout stages was a real bonus for us," manager Page said ahead of the game.
"It's a competition we enjoy playing in, it gives the lads a taste of something different, a different style of play. We are up against some technically very good teams and we have to match that first and foremost.
"We start at home against Atletico and we need to impose ourselves on them and show what it means to represent Liverpool and wear the jersey."