LIVERPOOL MANAGER JURGEN Klopp singled Conor Bradley out for individual praise after last night’s Carabao Cup semi-final win over Fulham at Anfield.
The Tyrone youngster played the full game as the Reds came from behind to win the first leg 2-1. The return clash takes place at Craven Cottage on 24 January.
“I told him before the game already I was waiting for that moment that we can give him the opportunity,” Klopp told his post-match press conference.
“I was really waiting for it because when he got injured in pre-season, my opinion about him was already here [high] and then he was out for a pretty long time.
“A top boy. Today was pretty intense for him. Somebody has to drive him home hopefully because he really is sitting in the dressing room and doesn’t look great!
“He gave his absolute everything and it’s just so nice to see, it’s really so nice to see. And the next is sitting outside on the bench already. That’s really cool that he could show how good he already is and, of course, so much more to come.”
Bradley, 20, made his second start of the season in place of injured right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold. He slipped in the build-up to Willian’s opener, but the Northern Ireland international impressed otherwise and was voted Man of the Match by Liverpool supporters.
“In the first goal, things like this happen, but if you are a defender there will always be an involvement in a goal somehow,” Klopp added. “But it’s all about how quick can you get into the game again and I didn’t see any kind of reaction – I liked that a lot.”
The Aghyaran prince 👑 ❤️ https://t.co/Aiv2KABZjl
— Rony McNamee (@rony_mac) January 10, 2024
Bradley reflected on the night with the Liverpool media team today.
“It took me a few minutes to get into it, but once I got into it I loved every minute of it,” he told the club’s official website. “Obviously it’s a dream for me to play at Anfield and I’m just buzzing with how it went.”
He also spoke about deputising for Alexander-Arnold, and the importance of playing his own game rather than trying to replicate the top star.
“Trent is probably the best right-back in the world at the minute, if not the best player in the world the way he’s playing. So he’s a big miss for us, but I just tried to do everything I could to fill in for him. And thankfully we got the win.
“Obviously I’m not Trent Alexander-Arnold, so I’m just going to play my game and just contribute what I can to the team. Hopefully that does us well.”
