Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has affirmed that there is "so much more to come" from Conor Bradley after the right-back's impressive display in their 2-1 EFL Cup semi-final first-leg win over Fulham.
Owing to injuries to Trent Alexander-Arnold, Andrew Robertson and Kostas Tsimikas, Bradley earned an expected start against the Cottagers at Anfield, three days on from a stellar cameo against Arsenal in the FA Cup.
The 20-year-old completed the full 90 minutes against Marco Silva's men, and barring Willian's opening goal on the evening, he marshalled the former Arsenal and Chelsea winger effectively on the right-hand side.
Bradley made six tackles, one interception and completed 88% of his passes, as well as setting up two chances for his teammates, including a sumptuous cross into the six-yard box for Darwin Nunez which the Uruguayan failed to make the most of.
With all of Alexander-Arnold, Robertson and Tsimikas expected to miss the rest of January, Bradley - who spent a few months out with a serious back injury - will now be in line to make his Premier League debut against Bournemouth on January 21.
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Klopp unsurprisingly waxed lyrical about Bradley's display on Wednesday evening and admitted that the defender looked a little worse for wear in the dressing room, telling the press: "I told him before the game already I was waiting for that moment that we can give him the opportunity.
"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.
"In the first goal, things like this happen, but if you are a defender there will always be an involvement in a goal somehow. 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."
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Bradley was left in a heap by Willian for Fulham's shock opener, which came about thanks to a Virgil van Dijk mistake, and Klopp's men could not muster up the answer to Fulham's exceptional defensive work in what remained of the first half.
However, the hosts would claw their way back into the contest thanks to a huge stroke of luck in the second half, as Curtis Jones's long-range strike took a significant deflection off of Tosin Adarabioyo to deceive a helpless Bernd Leno.
Just three minutes after Jones's effort, two of Klopp's second-half substitutes combined for the winning goal, as Nunez cut back for Cody Gakpo to finish at Leno's near post and complete another quintessential Liverpool comeback.
Fulham will welcome Klopp's side to Craven Cottage for the return fixture on January 24, where Liverpool only need to avoid defeat to set up a final with either Chelsea or Middlesbrough.
Ben Knapton
