AFTER matching Liverpool for most of the game, Skelmersdale looked down and out before almost saving the game in an exciting last few minutes in the Liverpool County FA Senior Cup Final.

The Reds went 3-1 up in the 88th minute, before United immediately pulled one back and were then denied an almost certain equaliser by a superbly timed last ditch tackle as Paul Woolcott had the goal at his mercy.

Skelmersdale struck first blood after 11 minutes. A corner was driven in from the right and helped on at the near-post, Karl Ledsham read the situation perfectly, running onto the ball at the far post and directing it over the line.

Liverpool stepped things up, but were getting little change out of a solid home defence, until Paul Byrne gave a free-kick away 25 yards from goal.

Keeper Eastham was still setting up his defensive wall when Gerrardo Bruna elected to take the kick quickly, sending the ball into the unguarded net.

The tone of the second-half was set inside seconds of the restart. Bruna’s corner from the right found Conor Coady in the heart of the Skelmersdale penalty area and he beat Eastham from six yards.

Eighty eight minutes had elapsed when Liverpool won the Cup, or thought they had. Six foot plus Michael Ngoo forced his way down the right and after winning his battle with Byrne, pulled the ball back into the box; Cooper ran in and drove the ball high into the net.

But United won a free-kick from the kick-off, Byrne lifted it to the far post, Shaun Foster knocked it down and O’Donnell headed home from close range.

Three minutes added time was announced and if it was not for Liverpool left-back Emmanuel Mendy there would have been another thirty minutes, too. A fine swift passing move put Paul Woolcott clean-in on goal, just as he threatened to pull the trigger, Mendy swept the ball away to hand Liverpool the Cup.