2016 Premier League 2: Sunday's U23 Result, Latest Rankings, Fixtures

Danny Ings helped Liverpool under-23s climb up to third in Division 1 of the 2016-17 Premier League 2 standings on Sunday after netting a brace in a 3-0 win over Sunderland.

The two teams went in scoreless at the break at Prenton Park in Birkenhead, Merseyside, but Ings bagged twice in a 15-minute window after the restart before Trent Alexander-Arnold added a third for the hosts.

The former Burnley striker may not have had much impact on first-team matters at Anfield of late—he's yet to play in the Premier League this season—but manager Jurgen Klopp may rethink Ings' status following Sunday's display.

The Black Cats had the opportunity to reclaim the Premier League 2 summit if they managed to snatch all three points in their away trip, but manager Andy Welsh's side came up second-best by a wide margin.

Read on for a recap of Sunday's sole fixture, complete with a breakdown of the latest Division 1 standings and a look to Monday's Premier League 2 fixtures.

Position	Team	MP	W	D	L	F	A	D	Pts
1	Southampton U23	6	4	1	1	12	7	+5	13
2	Everton U23	5	4	0	1	13	2	+11	12
3	Liverpool U23	6	4	0	2	18	11	+7	12
4	Manchester Cit…	6	3	2	1	12	9	+3	11
5	Sunderland U23	6	3	1	2	10	10	0	10
6	Reading U23	5	3	0	2	9	10	-1	9
7	Chelsea U23	6	2	2	2	11	8	+3	8
8	Manchester Uni…	5	2	2	1	6	6	+0	8
9	Tottenham Hots…	6	2	0	4	9	14	-5	6
10	Arsenal U23	6	2	0	4	6	13	-7	6
11	Leicester City U23	6	0	2	4	6	15	-9	2
12	Derby County U23	5	0	0	5	6	13	-7	0

Time	Home	VS.	Away
7 p.m. BST/2 p.m. ET	Derby County	vs.	Reading
7 p.m. BST/2 p.m. ET	Everton	vs.	Manchester United

Recap

The opening 45 minutes at Prenton Park were fairly uneventful as two teams contending for the top spots in Division 1 early on this season looked wary of dropping points in their bid to rise back up the ranks.

While Liverpool's under-23s were hoping to replicate their first team's success following Saturday's 5-1 thumping of Hull City, Sunderland attempted the opposite as their senior counterparts struggle in the top flight.

Everything was still to play for as both teams kept a clean sheet after 45 minutes, but manager Michael Beale evidently went about inspiring his Reds in the right way at the interval.

It wasn't until after the break that Ings prodded in a 48th-minute opener as the ball bobbled around the Black Cats' six-yard box, leading actor James Sutton to suggest the forward didn't belong among the youngsters:

"

Danny Ings is under 23?! That's some rough life the poor lad's had.

— James Sutton (@thejamessutton) September 25, 2016"

The 24-year-old—one of Liverpool's three permitted over-age players on Sunday—was undoubtedly a lot prouder of his second: a diving header reminiscent of the sensational finish Netherlands striker Robin van Persie scored against Spain at the 2014 World Cup.

The Liverpool Echo's Neil Jones couldn't help but applaud the effort as Pedro Chirivella crossed in from the right of the Sunderland area, and Ings helped it loop over Sunderland's goalkeeper into the far corner:

The visiting outfit might have had a chance of reviving any hopes of a point haul at two goals down, but Alexander-Arnold added the nail in the coffin after 73 minutes.

The 18-year-old scythed his way down the right flank toward Sunderland's goal, leaving Andy Kelly of the Liverpool Echo to dub his solo sprint "brilliant."

That was all she wrote in terms of goals at Prenton Park, and Sunderland's second defeat of the season came under embarrassing circumstances, conceding more than twice in a game for the first time this term.

Liverpool will need all the morale boost they can get, too, as they prepare for a derby fixture against Manchester United in a little more than a fortnight's time on Tuesday, October 18.