City of Liverpool progressed to the final of the Liverpool Senior Cup with a 2-1 defeat of Tranmere Rovers on Tuesday evening.
Nine players from our Education Hub were in the squad for the game, and Education Hub graduate Sam Taylor captained the team.
In a fairly even start to proceedings, Elliot Morris got a shot away in the box for City of Liverpool which was blocked by Jean Belehouan.
13 minutes in, the hosts forged ahead through a header from Adam Rooney.
Rovers equalised on 20 minutes with a perfectly placed free-kick from Reece McAlear.
Tranmere went close to taking the lead six minutes later when Joe Starbuck fired a ball across the box, but Taylor couldn’t quite latch onto it.
With ten to go until the break, Taylor raced away on the break for Rovers from a corner before laying the ball off for James Norris, but the wide man was caught offside.
City of Liverpool took the lead again five minutes from the break through an Ethan Jones strike.
Conor Robson made an important save from a Josh Quarless free kick on the stroke of half time, as the shot rebounded between him and the post before deflecting behind to safety, as the hosts went into the break a goal ahead.
Jack Bentley from our Education Hub made a crucial block from a Jawad Jebrin shot ten minutes into the second half, knocking the ball behind for a corner.
Rooney went close with another header from a set piece ten minutes later, but it came off the inside of Robson’s post before the keeper could gather it.
Moments later, Rovers had a chance at the other end but Seb Henderson’s strike was over the bar.
The hosts continued to prove a threat from set-piece situations, Simon Wills going close with a header at the back post in the latter stages, and eventually ran out 2-1 winners to progress to the final of the Liverpool Senior Cup.
City of Liverpool: Calvin Hare, Ethan Jones, Jack Hont, Kenny Strickland (Byron, 38), Adam Rooney, Simon Wills, Elliot Morris, Max Allen, Josh Quarless, Ismail Sonko, Jawad Jebrin.
Subs: McNally, Conteh, Lyons, Kelly, Allen, McGiveron.
Tranmere Rovers: Conor Robson, Joe Starbuck, Jack Bentley, Jean Belehouan, Dan Pike, Sam Taylor, Ousmane Kane, Reece McAlear, James Norris, Seb Henderson, Kacper Mikulski.
Subs: Alex Brown, Charlie Martins, James Hawkins, Charlie Rooke, James Price, Joel West.
Attendance: 515.
