Liverpool U19 3-0 Maribor U19: Ben Woodburn on target as Steven Gerrard's side lead Group E

Liverpool's youngsters took another step towards the knockout stages of the UEFA Youth League with a rout over Maribor at Prenton Park on Wednesday.

Steven Gerrard's side raced ahead thanks to first-half strikes from Curtis Jones and Ben Woodburn before Glen McAuley added a third late on.

Last time out the Under 19s were forced to come form behind in Slovenia to earn a 4-1 victory, but there were no such problems this time around.

Jones found the back of the net inside four minutes with a low, deflected effort that gave Gerrard the perfect start.

By the time 11 minutes were on the clock, the young Reds had doubled their lead.

Ben Woodburn made no mistake from the penalty spot after Liam Millar had been taken down in the box, and it looked like the floodgates would open.

But profligacy in front of goal and a strong showing from visiting goalkeeper Tibor Cajnko ensured some respectability to the scoreline.

Bobby Adekanye was twice denied from one-on-one opportunities as the Reds failed to match their superiority in a numerical sense.

Millar thought he had got in on the act just after the hour mark when he turned home a Rafael Camacho cross, only for the offside flag to deny him.

But it was his substitute replacement McAuley who finally added the third with an emphatic finish inside the area.

The result sees the Reds move four points clear at the top of Group E after Sevilla and Spartak Moscow shared a 3-3 draw.