Leicester City's Academy team lost their unbeaten record in a 5-1 defeat by Liverpool at the Walkers Stadium in the fourth round of the FA Youth Cup tonight
It was a shock result both in outcome and scoreline as City had previously beaten the Reds 3-0 away in the league and while they hit the woodwork three times, they gave themselves a mountain to climb, being 4-0 down at the break
City were actually first to show, a through ball seeing Elliot Chamberlain crowded out before they were caught out in the 5th minute when Reds striker Michael Ngoo got a cross in from the left and Dalla Valle headed home from close range.
It was a big shock for the young Foxes and there was more to come two minutes later, when Robert Ambrusics parried a shot but Dalla Valle was first to the rebound to double the visitors' lead.
City, though, showed a lot of spirit and when Adi Yussuf broke through to turn the ball past the advancing keeper, it came back off the right-hand post. Indeed, the same player was foiled by the woodwork again when his left wing cross floated beyond the keeper but onto the bar and clear.
Just when the home side looked likely to hit back, they were struck again when a pass from Ngoo sent Tom Ince clean through from his own half to make it 3-0 in the 31st minute and three minutes later Dalla Valle completed his hat-trick with a cool finish from the right, in off the far post.
City made one change for the second half, Oliver Norburn on for Claudiu Hobin but the visitors came forward and Ambrusics did well to cut out Ngoo's cross from the right before City came so close to a reply, an Elliot Chamberlain shot being blocked for a corner and from the flag-kick move, Ben Milne's cross was headed in by George Taft but the keeper saved it
At the other end, Ambrusics made a brilliant save from an Ngoo header before a Milne shot became the third City effort to come back off the frame of the goal and then, in the 66th minute, City finally got the ball in the net, a cross from the right by Jorrin John being turned home by Yussuf. Moments later, Chamberlain was through only to be denied by his namesake Deale in the Reds goal
With four minutes left, Ngoo completed the scoring when he squeezed the ball home from close range to complete an unhappy night for the City youngsters.
City: Ambrusics; Moore, Taft, Milne, Bolger, Parkes, John, Hicks, Chamberlain, Yussuf, Hobin Subs: Knight (71 for Taft), Gill, Terrot (87 for Moore), Byrne, Norburn (46 for Hobin).
Liverpool: Chamberlain; Flanagan, Robinson, Wisdom, McGiveron, Coady, Buchtmann, Roberts, Ngoo, Dalla Valle, Ince Subs: Sama (72 for McGiveron), Belford, Adorjan (77 for Dalla Valle), Roddan, Ellison (61 for Robinson).
Referee: S Ledger.
