TEEN SENSATION JORDAN Rossiter said scoring on his Liverpool debut was a “dream come true” after the Reds came through an extraordinary League Cup tie to beat Middlesbrough last night.
Liverpool eventually triumphed 14-13 in a marathon penalty shoot-out at Anfield.
But earlier, Rossiter, a 17-year-old striker, had opened the scoring just 10 minutes into the match, seizing on a loose ball following a collision between Boro goalkeeper Jamal Blackman and defender Kenneth Omeruo.
However, the visitors equalised to leave the tie all square at 1-1 after 90 minutes and then scored from the penalty spot with virtually the last kick of extra-time to make it 2-2 and send the match into a remarkable shoot-out.
Tuesday’s game was eventually decided in Liverpool’s favour when Middlesbrough’s Albert Adomah missed with the 30th penalty.
“To be honest with you I couldn’t have dreamed of that, scoring the first 20 minutes of the game in my first start here really was a dream come true,” Rossiter told Sky Sports.
“I found out yesterday in training [that he would start].
“I was a bit shocked but I just couldn’t wait to get out there.
“I can’t remember what I did [to celebrate], but I just went mad with it.
“I’m still young, I’m just looking to build on that performance and hopefully I’ll get more chances in the future.”
Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers added: “Young Jordan Rossiter at 17 years of age — I was delighted for him. He got the opportunity and showed wonderful composure for his finish.”
Liverpool’s 14-13 win equalled the scoreline when Dagenham and Redbridge beat Leyton Orient on penalties in the Football League Trophy in August 2011.
For Liverpool, who have lost three of their five Premier League matches so far this season after finishing runners-up last term, it was a badly-needed victory ahead of this weekend’s Merseyside derby with Everton.
“I was obviously pleased to get through and that experience was great for our young players,” said Rodgers.
“It is good to win no matter how you do it. We played okay in the game and didn’t create a great deal, but showed good perseverance to keep going.
“As it is at the moment, we made too many mistakes and got punished for that.
“But the players showed great resilience and mentality to keep going and at the end, when it was needed, they showed wonderful composure.”
