Marine booked their place into the last four of the Liverpool Senior Cup as they saw off a brave display from Everton U18s.
Mark Howarth, Louis Britton, James Barrigan and Sol Solomon were on target for Neil Young’s side but were denied a clean sheet as Martin Sherif fired beyond Bayleigh Passant in second-half stoppage time.
The Mariners bounced back from their weekend disappointment at relegation-threatened Liversedge with, what proved to be, a commanding triumph over the young Blues.
They will learn their fate in the semi-final when the draw is made on Wednesday morning (March 1).
But they were forced to defend the first shot of the match when Sherif managed to fashion a shooting opportunity on his left foot but could only sting the palms of Passant. He was in the thick of the action again but could only drag his effort into the side-netting.
Just after 15 minutes the deadlock was broken as Howarth’s left-footed half-volley arrowed past Jack Barrett. Marine’s corner was only partially cleared and the midfielder, upon his return from suspension, caught his strike perfectly to beat the Everton goalkeeper.
After taking the lead, the visitors endured a sustained onslaught as they were forced to weather the storm. Britton manoeuvred through the lines after nice interplay from Marine but saw his effort deflect over.
Josh Solomon-Davies then delivered a superb cross for Solomon but his volley was saved by Barrett. But on the stroke of half-time, the Blues resistance was broken.
Howarth was involved again as his left-footed flick cut apart the Everton defence with Britton latching on and lifting over the onrushing shot-stopper.
Following the restart, Neil Young’s side continued pushing for their third and came close through Solomon-Davies but the 20-year-old stood firm to keep the Mariners at bay.
Barrigan did add the third as he tapped home following brilliant work from substitute Craig Curran down the right. The provider then came close to getting in on the act but Barrett battered away the danger.
Solomon rubberstamped their place alongside Southport, Bootle and Runcorn Linnets in the semi-final as he picked up his deserved goal. The Mariners’ top goalscorer let the ball run across his body, beating the defender, before firing left-footed into the bottom corner.
There was one final moment for a consolation goal as Sherif fired beyond Passant after neat play from Harrison Armstrong. However, it wasn’t to be as the Mariners proved too strong for the Blues youngsters.
Match Stats:
Marine 4-1 Everton
Goals: 16′ Mark Howarth, 42′ Louis Britton, 69′ James Barrigan, 86′ Sol Solomon; 90’Martin Sherif
HT/FT Score: 2-0/4-1
