Stanley celebrated a hat-trick of wins in the Leasing.com Trophy with a 5-2 victory over a young Liverpool side.

John Coleman’s men had already qualified for the knock-out stages but finished unbeaten at the top of their group following their comfortable win.

Despite Neil Critchley’s young charges opening the scoring, Stanley took charge with Ross Sykes, Courtney Baker-Richardson, Dion Charles, Jordan Clark and Connor Simpson making it an emphatic victory.

It also means Stanley have got £30,000 in prize money so far.

Coleman gave Stoke loan keeper Josef Bursik his first start for the Reds while Baker-Richardson started his first match since August, the Swansea loan striker now recovered from a groin injury.

Stanley looked threatening in the early stages but it was Liverpool who opened the scoring on eight minutes.

A defensive mix-up gifted Elijah Dixon-Bonner the ball and he fired into the empty net.

Coleman’s men were denied an equaliser by the post when winger Clark’s strike from the edge of the area cannoned off the woodwork.

Stanley thought they had levelled the scores after Aji Alese forced the ball over the line in a goalmouth scramble on 20 minutes but referee Andy Haines disallowed it for a foul on keeper Ben Winterbottom.

The home side finally made a chance count on 29 minutes when, after Winterbottom denied Clark, Joe Pritchard’s corner was headed home by Ross Sykes. The defender has one league game to go on a three game ban but can play in this competition.

Dixon-Bonner was centimetres off giving Liverpool the lead again while Dion Charles came close at the other end and Alese’s flick header was comfortable for Winterbottom.

Stanley pressed and there was more agony for Clark as his superb curling strike again hit the woodwork on 36 minutes.

However, Coleman’s men took the lead on 45 minutes when Pritchard’s shot was saved by Winterbottom, Baker-Richardson followed up but his effort was blocked and then Lamine Kaba Sherif fired goalwards, the ball taking a deflection off Baker-Richardson to make it 2-1.

Wilson Carvalho came on for Baker-Richardson at half-time and Clark again came close, denied by Winterbottom.

However Stanley then took charge against the young Liverpool side.

The Reds broke superbly and Dion Charles took the ball around Winterbottom and scored a super solo effort on 52 minutes.

Then Clark, after hitting the woodwork twice, finally found the top of the net with a curling effort on 61 minutes.

On 74 minutes Preston loan striker Connor Simpson finished superbly for his first Stanley goal, looping the ball over Winterbottom.

Liverpool youngster Layton Stewart pounced on a defensive mistake and finished well on 77 minutes to complete the scoring.