Marin returns as Chelsea youngsters lose

Marko Marin returned to action as Chelsea were beaten 4-1 by Liverpool in the Under-21 Premier League.

The Germany international, a summer signing from Werder Bremen, has been sidelined with a hamstring problem and is yet to make his competitive debut for the Blues.

He played the first half of the match at Brentford’s Griffin Park, where Patrick Bamford scored Chelsea’s goal.

Marin, operating on the left of a front three, sliced a shot well wide and was dispossessed several times as his lack of match fitness showed.

Liverpool dominated most of the opening 45 minutes, with Adam Morgan shooting against the post and Samed Yesil somehow missing the target from six yards when he had the goal at his mercy.

Chelsea did look dangerous at times and substitute Jeremie Boga had an effort cleared off the line moments after coming on for Ruben Loftus-Cheek, who picked up an injury shortly before the interval.

Dermot Drummy’s side started the second half strongly, with Islam Feruz seeing his shot saved by Liverpool keeper Peter Gulacsi before Adam Phillip went close with a free-kick.

But Jack Robinson scored from close range to put Liverpool ahead and Conor Coady then netted from the penalty spot after Aziz Deen-Conteh had brought down Morgan.

Bamford pulled one back late on when he found a yard of space in the area and fired through Gulacsi’s legs.

But soon after Chelsea had appealed in vain for a penalty after Bamford went down under a challenge from Andre Wisdom, Krisztian Adorjan restored his team’s two-goal cushion with a thumping drive into the bottom corner.

And in stoppage time, Liverpool broke on the counter-attack and Michael Ngoo rifled in their fourth.

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