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Regrets, they've had a few...

For the second successive night Liverpool were left with a sense of regret against Manchester United.

Twenty-four hours after Jurgen Klopp's men were thwarted in a dour Premier League stalemate at Anfield, Michael Beale's under-23s let United off the hook again.

A team including first-team experience in the form of Danny Ings, Mamadou Sakho, Tiago Ilori, Connor Randall, Kevin Stewart, Marko Grujic and Ovie Ejaria should have been far too strong for United's young rookies at Leigh Sports Village.

But from a position of control after Harry Wilson's classy opener they failed to make their dominance count as United sat deep and defended in numbers.

Josh Harrop's second-half equaliser brought the Reds' second-string to life again but a late onslaught was in vain. United parked the bus and Liverpool couldn't shift it.

This was without doubt two points dropped as the U23s' winning run in Premier League 2 ground to a halt.

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Sakho no closer to first team

Six months ago Mamadou Sakho was taking a bow in front of an adoring Kop after netting in Liverpool's 4-0 rout of Everton.

Having also scored in the miraculous Europa League fightback against Borussia Dortmund a week earlier, his stock had never been higher.

Since then it's been all downhill for the France international from that UEFA drugs charge which was subsequently dismissed to his antics on the pre-season tour of America and his late night outburst on Snapchat.

In truth it's difficult to see a way back for him under Jurgen Klopp.

Here he was gracing the Leigh Sports Village in front of 3,000 fans against a bunch of kids. Sakho's commitment for Beale's side couldn't be questioned on his third outing for the U23s.

The 26-year-old barely put a foot wrong as Scott McTominay got no change out of him.

But Sakho must surely be regretting his decision to ignore Klopp's advice about going out on loan before the summer window shut.

He vowed to stay and fight for a first-team return but the reality is that he's no closer to achieving that.

With Dejan Lovren and Joel Matip established as the first choice centre-back combination, Klopp has Ragnar Klavan and Lucas Leiva waiting in the wings.

Add in the fact Joe Gomez is now back in full training, and a move away from Liverpool for Sakho looks increasingly inevitable whether that's in January or next summer.

Ings will be given the Klopp nod soon

It's been a desperately frustrating start to the season for Danny Ings after his long battle back to fitness after a cruciate ligament injury.

The England international has enjoyed just half an hour of first-team football so far this season.

But the manner in which he has knuckled down and shone for the U23s is testament to his professionalism.

Having helped himself to five goals in the recent wins over Sunderland and Ipswich, his contribution this time was less eye-catching.

Ings linked up play brilliantly and his header crashed against the post just seconds before Wilson's classy flick opening the scoring.

There was concern when Ings went down clutching his neck after taking a whack but he battled on.

Ings was inches away from grabbing a dramatic late winner as first his header was nodded off the line and then keeper Sam Johnstone brilliantly denied him.

No matter what the opposition, you are guaranteed a proper shift from Ings and there's good reason to believe he will have an important part to play under Klopp at some stage this term.

Ings is the perfect fit for Klopp's high-octane style. He sets the tone with his willingness to chase lost causes and badger defenders.

With Daniel Sturridge struggling to hold down a starting spot and Divock Origi having yet to come to life this term, Ings just needs to keep knocking on the door. His chance will come.

Grujic will make the grade

It was a mixed night for Beale's central midfield trio.

Kevin Stewart was solid enough but Pedro Chirivella's slip handed United a route back into the game early in the second half.

The Spaniard allowed McTominay to get away from him and then clumsily brought him down in the box. Harrop made no mistake from the penalty spot.

Marko Grujic , who operated further forward, was the pick of the bunch.

The Serbian midfielder may only be 20 but he looks far too good for this level.

The £5.1million signing from Red Star Belgrade has only clocked up three senior outings so far this season and was an unused sub at Anfield on Monday night.

But with his range of passing, calmness in possession and sheer physical presence he's got all the tools required to make the grade in the Premier League.

The only blot on his copybook was when he nodded a decent chance wide.

Wilson fillip

Harry Wilson once had the tag of being Liverpool's 'next big thing'.

But since becoming the youngest-ever Wales international three years ago he's struggled to live up to the hype.

Last season was effectively a write off for him as a loan spell at Crewe failed to work out and he was severely hampered by a toe injury.

Now fully fit and given the honour of being Liverpool U23s captain, he's starting to get back to where he was.

Wilson has yet to make his senior debut but he's still only 19 and has time on his side.

The skipper led by example against United and opened the scoring with an exquisite finish as he directed Chirivella's scuffed shot into the net.

Wilson was full of tricks and flicks and linked up well with Ings before tiring and being replaced by Cameron Brannagan late on. The little Welshman is back on track.