Liverpool's newest star, Conor Bradley, has claimed that he is in "dreamland' after providing two assists and scoring a goal in the 4-1 win over Liverpool at Anfield on Wednesday night.
Bradley was the star of the show and made his fifth appearance of the season, and this was his best display of them all.
The 20-year-old set Diogo Jota for the opener and soon after scored his first goal for the club after slotting the ball past Chelsea's Djordje Petrovic.
However, the goal was nearly ruled out after it was spotted that Diogo Jota fouled a Chelsea player in the buildup to the goal. After the VAR check for the goal, the goal was eventually given to the Liverpool youngster, which sent Anfield into raptures.
In doing so, Tyrone native Bradley became the first Northern Ireland international to score for the club since Sammy Smyth 70 years ago and he took his assist tally to five in four games
Liverpool scored again in the second half when Bradley turned provider once more. He found Liverpool midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai with a pin-point cross in the middle of the Chelsea box, and the Hungarian finished the chance to make it 3-0 on the night. Chelsea got a goal back from Christopher Nknunku, but the game was ended by Luis Diaz' late goal.
Nevertheless, the night belonged to young Conor Bradley, and his display means he now has five assists and a goal in his last four appearances in all competitions
A MOMENT HE WILL 𝐍𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐑 FORGET 😱
Liverpool academy graduate Conor Bradley scores a screamer at Anfield to double their lead against Chelsea 🙌 pic.twitter.com/4JJDLPLE13— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) January 31, 2024
Speaking after the game, Man-of-the-Match Bradley was asked by TNT Sports about how he felt about his first Liverpool goal. He responded by saying, “It’s a very proud moment, obviously.
“I just feel like I’m in a dream. It’s unbelievable. I’m very happy!”
He added: “I just couldn’t believe it went in. I just thought, ‘I’m going to hit it here’ and it went in the bottom corner.
“I didn’t know what to do; I just went into the corner and did a knee slide. It was brilliant!”
Klopp also praised Bradley, describing him as "outstanding."
He added, “He's a very serious young man, and that was pretty special. What a wonderful kid he is. Outstanding finish, the whole game, the contribution, the involvement."
Conversations are now starting to emerge about who will keep the Liverpool rightback jersey when the current long-term holder of the jersey, Trent Alexander-Arnold, is fully fit. Bradley gave a diplomatic answer to the lingering question and admitted he only wanted to do the job to the best of his ability
“It’s been brilliant,” he said. “It’s unfortunate the way Trent got injured, but that’s what happens in football, and I’ve just got to try to take my chance.
“Over the last couple of games, I feel like I’ve done pretty well, so I just want to keep up this form and keep working hard.”
Liverpool's next fixture will be against Arsenal on Sunday. That game kicks off on Sunday at 4.30 p.m.
