Neil Critchley felt his Liverpool U23s side did not get what they deserved in a 1-0 defeat by West Ham United in Premier League 2 on Saturday afternoon.

An early goal from a set-piece by Josh Pask was enough for the Hammers to claim three points against a very young Reds line-up at the Kirkby Academy.

Read on for Critchley’s thoughts on his team’s performance and why, despite the loss, the players will have benefited hugely from the physical test they faced…

On the disappointment of conceding an early goal to a set-piece…

“It was disappointing in terms of the manner in which we lost the game. To concede in the first two or three minutes from a set-play was really frustrating because I felt after that we had to battle and compete, and we did that extremely well. We had a young team out there and we were giving away some size and some strength, and you could tell that, but the boys gave absolutely everything.

“In the second half I felt we were the team that were on the front foot and dominant in their half of the pitch without creating loads of opportunities. There weren’t that many opportunities in the whole game at either end really. We failed a little bit with our decision-making and our quality in the final third, so in lots and lots of ways I’m delighted with how the boys have done, and I’m desperately disappointed for them because I don’t think their efforts have got what they merited.”

On the learning curve for the youngsters to get used to the physical side of the game at U23 level…

“This was a fantastic game for them. I know we’ve lost the game but in some ways what the boys take from that game is huge. That’s what development is about, learning and progressing, and they need to take a lot from that game. We’ve got some really big games coming up as well and we need to stick at it and keep going. I thought the boys were terrific for 87 minutes of the game and I’m just disappointed we never got what we probably deserved in the end.”

LFCTV GO: Watch highlights from the clash with West Ham

On the importance of senior players such as Herbie Kane and Conor Masterson being role models for the U18 players…

“That is crucial and we have put a little bit of pressure on them in the last week. They need to now come to the fore, not just in terms of their effort but the standards that they set every day, in training, their behaviour around the training ground and leading by example on the pitch. That’s not easy because they are both young players as well, but that can be such a benefit to them in terms of their own development as people as well as footballers.”

On having a young team at U23 level for the rest of the season and the chance for them to shine…

“We had three first-year scholars starting on that pitch and some of the players have played very few games at U23 level. Going 1-0 down so early on in the game, we could easily have caved in there against a powerful team, and physically and mentally we could have wilted, but we didn’t. We stuck at it and the team that was on top in the second half was us.”

On the Premier League 2 title race with five games left to play…

“We’ve got some really good games to look forward to and they are going to be some really tough games as well. I said to the boys in the dressing room at the end of the game it’s about fine margins. We’ve lost our last three games 1-0 and there’s been nothing in them, if anything we have been the better team for long periods in all of those games. In both penalty boxes set-pieces are vital and when you go into men’s football, knowing how to win and being always switched on at those crucial moments is vital. Our boys had a real taste of that and I’m sure we will get that in the next few weeks as well.”