Amoo puts Liverpool through to last eight.

Byline: BY CHRIS WRIGHT at Anfield

Liverpool Youth 1

Chelsea Youth 0

DAVID AMOO put Liverpool Youth team through to the quarter-finals of the FA Youth Cup as just like the first team they beat Chelsea, this time 1-0, at Anfield last night.

The Stamford Bridge youngsters, who had won at Old Trafford 3-2 in the third round, couldn't repeat the trick at Anfield and for the second time in five days the Blues returned back to London on the end of a defeat.

It is the third time in the last seven years Liverpool have knocked Chelsea out of the Youth Cup and the last time Liverpool went on to win the trophy in 2007.

They will now welcome Bolton Wanderers to Anfield in a lasteight tie later this month.

With assistant manager Sammy Lee and first-team players Jamie Carragher and Sami Hyypia watching on coach Hugh McAuley was happy with the hard-fought victory. He said: "It was a fantastic effort from everybody and it needed to be because Chelsea are a good team with good players. They move the ball quickly and we had to respond to that. I thought the effort was absolutely first class throughout.

"Having taken the lead I thought we had one or two good opportunities to score more goals.

We didn't so you are always holding on to 1-0. With good players against you, you need to be alive and alert. The biggest problem for me was keeping hold of the ball at vital times. Our possession was not as good as what it needed to be. But we probably had the better chances towards the end of the game. We have got a lot of work to do and we will continue to do that and be ready for the next game."

He added: "It is Bolton next, another game at Anfield for the boys. Bolton are a good team and we play them regularly. It is also an opportunity for them to come to Anfield. We need to be ready and prepared to do well.

"It is quite nerve-wracking for a lot of young players - the first time playing at Anfield - and I thought our lads did tremendously well. There is a lot we have to work on. But it is difficult for players being under the spotlight with the crowd and the senior management there. But by and large they handled it well.

They will have learned from it, got more experience and be better in that part of the game next time against Bolton."

Liverpool's Spanish centre-back Daniel Ayala looked solid at the heart of the defence alongside captain Joe Kennedy. The Spaniard had been forced out of the shoot-out victory over Bristol Rovers in the fourth round following an injury in the warmup.

But the duo kept the tricky Chelsea attack in check with a solid display.

Tom Ince, with father Paul also watching on, screwed a low shot and Finnish forward Lauri Dalla Valle had another effort from 20 yards saved by Chelsea's German keeper Niclas Heimann early on.

Former Millwall youngster Amoo had looked lively in those early stages with his direct running. And he opened the scoring on 18 minutes, but from a header. He had won a corner when his cross was headed behind. Steven Irwin's delivery was palmed out by Heimann, and from Pepper's cross Amoo rose to head down into the Kop goal.

Amoo fired just wide after 26 minutes, after profiting from a mistake by Jeffrey Bruma Van Homoet. Bruma Van Homoet tried to make amends and saw his shot turned around by Liverpool's Australian keeper Dean Bouzanis.

The Aussie also beat away Dan Philliskirk's rasping shot.

Chelsea had the ball in the net on the hour. Bouzanis pushed away Rohan Ince's 20-yard drive, and although French starlet Gael Kakuta fired in the rebound, he was clearly in an offside position when the first effort was struck.

Liverpool also saw an effort ruled out seven minutes later.

Dalla Valle's snapshot from Amoo's flick-on was disallowed as the Finn was marginally offside.

With the game switching from end to end late on Ince and Amoo fired wide, while the latter saw another effort saved by Heimann.

While at the other end Borini headed over from close range, but Liverpool held out to continue in their bid for a third FA Youth Cup success in the last four years.

LIVERPOOL YOUTH: Bouzanis; Wisdom, Ayala, Kennedy, Buchtmann; Amoo, Irwin, Pepper (Kacaniklic 73), T Ince; Dalla Valle, Eccleston. Subs: Chamberlain, Metcalf, Roberts. Ellison.

CHELSEA YOUTH: Heimann; Ahamed, Bruma Van Homoet, R Ince (Mitrovc 85), Gordon (Phillip 45); Sala, Mellis (Clifford 70), Philliskirk, Nouble; Borini, Kakuta.

Subs: Sebek, McEachran.

REFEREE: JG Adcock. ATT: 2,193.

CAPTION(S):

David Amoo (right) celebrates his winning goal for Liverpool Youth team against Chelsea at Anfield last night Picture: DAVID RAWCLIFFE/PROPAGANDA