2016 Barclays Premier League 2: Sunday U23 Result, Latest Rankings and Schedule
Liverpool's Under-23 squad grabbed their second win of the 2016-17 Premier League 2 season on Sunday, beating Leicester City 4-0 in a dominant showing.
Danny Ings, Ben Woodburn, Harry Wilson and Ovie Ejaria all scored before half-time, and the Reds controlled the match after the break to cruise to a win.
Here's a look at the Group 1 standings following Sunday's lone match:
| 1. | Everton U23 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 8:1 | 9 |
| 2. | Chelsea U23 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 9:4 | 8 |
| 3. | Sunderland U23 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 7:3 | 7 |
| 4. | Manchester City U23 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 7:6 | 7 |
| 5. | Southampton U23 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 6:4 | 6 |
| 6. | Liverpool U23 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 9:9 | 6 |
| 7. | Tottenham U23 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 7:7 | 6 |
| 8. | Reading U23 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 6:6 | 6 |
| 9. | Manchester United U23 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 3:4 | 5 |
| 10. | Arsenal U23 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 4:7 | 3 |
| 11. | Derby U23 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 4:10 | 0 |
| 12. | Leicester U23 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 3:12 | 0 |
Here's the schedule for the upcoming fixtures:
| 12.09. 20:00 | Blackburn U23 | Norwich U23 |
| 12.09. 20:00 | Fulham U23 | Aston Villa U23 |
| 12.09. 20:00 | Middlesbrough U23 | Swansea U23 |
| 12.09. 20:00 | Newcastle Utd U23 | Stoke City U23 |
| 12.09. 20:00 | Southampton U23 | Reading U23 |
| 12.09. 20:00 | West Brom U23 | Brighton U23 |
| 13.09. 20:00 | Everton U23 | Sunderland U23 |
| 17.09. 15:00 | Stoke City U23 | Fulham U23 |
| 18.09. 13:00 | Sunderland U23 | Manchester City U23 |
Recap
As shared by Andy Kelly of the Liverpool Echo, the Reds fielded a strong side for this match, including senior striker Ings and star prospects Wilson and Woodburn:
With senior manager Jurgen Klopp watching on, it took the hosts less than three minutes to take the lead. Ings released Woodburn, who fired a shot on goal that appeared to be going in untouched only for Ings to give it the decisive push over the line.
Woodburn made an excellent impression, and he provided a pin-point cross for Wilson just minutes later, with the midfielder heading the ball straight for goalkeeper Daniel Iversen. The Foxes had no answers for Liverpool's dominance, and after 18 minutes, Woodburn doubled the lead.
Ejaria released full-back Trent Alexander-Arnold, who fired a perfect cross into the box for an easy goal.
Daniel Rowe fired Leicester's only real chance of the half wide before the hosts struck again, with Wilson easily slotting home after Iversen denied Woodburn's initial shot. Per Kelly, it was clear the side was extra motivated with Klopp watching the match:
And the Reds still weren't done, with Ejaria heading home after a fine cross from Wilson.
At half-time, Liverpool FC News provided a short summary of the action:
Alexander-Arnold missed a golden opportunity to stretch the lead to five goals, but hit the post. Both Tiago Ilori and Ejaria went close early in the second half. Pedro Chirivella also hit the woodwork after the break, before the Reds finally took their foot off the gas.
There was still time for former Barcelona man Juanma to find some minutes after being cleared internationally, and Cameron Brannagan also had the chance to impress.
But one player undoubtedly made the biggest impact on Sunday. Woodburn was all over the place, seemingly involved with every single attack. Kelly was impressed:
The Reds haven't started the Premier League 2 campaign in the greatest form, but Sunday's showing was a reminder of how dominant the team can be when everything's clicking.
Liverpool will be in action again on Monday, Sept. 19, when they'll visit Tottenham Hotspur.
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