Sidelined by an ankle injury since October, Edwards was joined in the starting line-up by Cameron Carter-Vickers and Josh Onomah, both making their first appearances in the Premier League 2 this season.
Things started so well against the third-placed Reds.
Edwards opened the scoring on 18 minutes with a fine low strike from the right angle, bending the ball into the bottom corner with his left foot.
It was soon 2-0 as Nathan Oduwa won possession and the ball eventually fell for Will Miller, who finished despite the efforts of goalkeeper Kamil Grabara and Joe Gomez on the line.