Football: Liverpool thrash Aston Villa youth 4-1 in the third round of the FA Cup

Their squad decimated by COVID, with nine first-team players being forced into isolation after testing positive, a combination of Aston Villa's under-18 and under-23 sides fought bravely before predictably going down 4-1 to Liverpool in the third round of the FA Cup on Friday. Several members of the squad are yet to pass their driving test and were dropped off at Villa Park by their parents, but they held their own for an hour against the English Premier League champions. Sadio Mane struck an early opener, but Liverpool needed three quickfire second-half goals from Georginio Wijnaldum, Mane and Mo Salah to end the hosts' hopes of a stunning upset. Villa had stunned them to equalise five minutes before the break. The oldest man in their team, 21-year-old Callum Rowe found Louie Barry who held off Rhys Williams to calmly beat Caoimhin Kelleher.