Disappointment was the overarching emotion for Archie Woods as West Ham United U21s left Liverpool on the wrong end of a 1-0 scoreline.
Heading to Merseyside with a five-game unbeaten run away from east London, the young Hammers once again impressed on their travels.
And yet it was Liverpool winger Ben Doak’s first-half effort that was the difference. A strike that left the Irons with work to do in their final two Premier League 2 fixtures should they secure their spot in Division 1.
“We did really well," Woods stated. "We kept in our shape, and we tried to get after them at times. And in the second half, we had a few chances. The game could have gone either way really.
“The boys dug deep, and we did well as a team. There were chances for us to get that equaliser and get back in the game. They didn’t have too many chances, but they took theirs in the first half. It just didn’t fall for us.”
Part of a midfield two alongside Freddie Potts, Woods more than held his own against a strong Liverpool eleven, with the U21s switching to a 4-4-2 formation following a 3-3 draw with Crystal Palace on Monday afternoon.
The tactical switch almost proved to work too, with the Hammers dominating much of the fixture, with Woods and Potts interchanging well to keep the ball, despite Liverpool’s midfield three having the spare man in the middle of the park.
Woods added: “It was hard work and difficult [to be a two playing against a three] but we did the shape in training and me and Freddie work well together.
“We balance the midfield when we play together, and it worked well.”
The Hammers battled but were unable to find the cutting edge in attack. They were disciplined in defence but with the ball just could not find that final pass to force an equaliser. Woods himself one of a few players to strike high and wide from distance.
Carving out better chances is something Woods and company will look to improve in their final two Premier League 2 fixtures against Leicester City and Tottenham Hotspur then.
“We just lacked that cutting edge against Liverpool,” Woods said, “but in the next two games, we have to work on those fine margins. And hopefully, we get a better result.
“We need to get results from those games. We can win both of them, so hopefully we can get the six points. And have nothing to worry about.”
