Union Saint-Gilloise 2-1 Liverpool: Jurgen Klopp's young guns struggle against Belgian league leaders in final Europa League group game but do academy proud as Jarell Quansah scores first goal for the Reds

While Manchester United’s players spent this week in recovery mode and conducting yet another inquest after a toothless but nevertheless taxing European performance, most of Liverpool’s big-hitters had their feet up resting on Merseyside.

Jurgen Klopp was afforded the luxury of this Europa League jaunt to Brussels being a meaningless dead-rubber, with them already qualified for the round of 16, and therefore left Virgil van Dijk, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Mohamed Salah and Alisson Becker at home.

Many other pivotal figures, such as Dominik Szoboszlai, Darwin Nunez and Luis Diaz spent most of the night sitting on the substitutes’ bench wearing a puffer jacket, hat and snood. It’s just another argument to add to the list for why Liverpool are so fancied to thrash United on Sunday.

Liverpool ultimately lost the battle of the English and Belgian league leaders but it was nevertheless a proud night for the academy. With an XI that had an average age of 22, Klopp handed a night to remember for a number of kids from the Kirkby production line.

There was the heart-warming tale of Kaide Gordon’s first start in nearly two years. He became Liverpool’s youngest-ever FA Cup goal-scorer in January 2022 and made his Premier League debut the following week but has been riddled with injuries relating to growing pains since.

Ben Doak showed his electric feet, while three others proved there is nothing wrong with going out on loan, as the trio of Jarell Quansah (Bristol Rovers), Conor Bradley (Bolton) and Luke Chambers (Kilmarnock) are all cutting their teeth in the first-team after successful stints away.

There were also minutes off the bench for fellow young prodigies James McConnell and Calum Scanlon, it was also a proud evening for a more established academy graduate at Liverpool, Curtis Jones, with the Scouse midfielder captaining his boyhood club.

But as often happens when teams make mass changes, Liverpool looked incredibly disjointed, struggled to find any intensity or creativity in attacks and afforded their Belgian opposition Union Saint-Gilloise too much room when they made forays forward.

Liverpool had 71 per cent possession in the first half but did little with the ball and managed just one shot on target. At the other end, the Belgian league leaders constantly exploited gaps in behind the Reds’ back-line and took the lead on 31 minutes.

Caoimhin Kelleher had already made two big stops to deny first Gustaf Nilsson and then Mohammed Amoura, both when clean through on goal. But the Irish goalkeeper was helpless as Amoura sprung past Liverpool’s offside trap, held his nerve, rounded Kelleher and scored.

Klopp’s side have made slow starts a customary occurrence this term and, like at Crystal Palace on Saturday, Liverpool were heading towards half-time without registering a shot on target. When they finally did have a shot on target, it came from an unlikely source in Jarell Quansah.

On UEFA’s official team-sheet, defender Quansah was listed as playing in the No 10 role just behind striker Wataru Endo, a holding midfielder. Maybe UEFA were on to something, then, as Quansah produced a fine strike as if he was a forward, to level the game.

It came after Curtis Jones, captain on the night, atoned for an earlier error that saw him lose possession for Union’s goal. The 22-year-old whipped in a nice corner, Union failed to clear their lines and Quansah finished well.

After having a 97th-minute equaliser chalked off at Toulouse for an earlier handball, it was a nice moment for the Warrington-born defender who has been at the club since age five. But after a tidy strike, he was back to his day job of defending minutes later as Union regained the lead.

Ibrahima Konate sold Ben Doak short with a pass, the Scotsman lost the ball and the home side embarked on a sweeping move. Konate was out of position and Cameron Puertas exploited space, both behind Liverpool’s defence and inside Kelleher’s near post with a powerful strike.

It wasn’t until Ryan Gravenberch’s silky touch and poor shot that Union keeper Anthony Moris made another save, though, with Liverpool poor offensively. His opposite number Kelleher, meanwhile, was kept busy as the Cork-born keeper denied Nilsson and Amoura.

The crowd inside Lotto Park, the home of Anderlecht where Union are forced to play European games at, were furious in the 62nd minute as Puertas saw his second goal of the game chalked off after an alleged handball in the build-up by Lazare Amani.