"I've been wanting to do this since about five years old" - Conor Bradley reacts after making PL debut for Liverpool in win over Bournemouth

Conor Bradley was elated after making his Premier League debut in Liverpool's 4-0 win against Bournemouth on Sunday (21 January).

The Reds came into this game without the likes of Andrew Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold in defense. While the former is out with a shoulder issue, the latter suffered a knee injury earlier this month which has sidelined him for a couple of weeks.

It is no secret that Liverpool's full-backs are often their chief creators, so the duo's absence has come as a blow for the Reds. Kostas Tsimikas, Liverpool's second-choice left-back, is also sidelined with a shoulder issue.

Jurgen Klopp hence went with the versatile Joe Gomez at left-back and Bradley at right-back. It was the Northern Irishman's first league match as a professional, having joined the Reds in the summer of 2019 from Dungannon's youth team.

After the 4-0 win at the Vitality Stadium, Bradley said of his debut, via Sky Sports (h/t BBC):

"I've been wanting to do this since about five years old. I've been waiting for my Premier League debut for a while so I'm really proud."

Bradley assisted Diogo Jota's second goal in the game, which came in the 79th minute to put the Reds 3-0 up. The Portuguese initially scuffed his shot from the Northern Irishman's cross but made amends by smacking the ball in on the second try.

The 20-year-old right-back played 83 minutes, taking 74 touches, winning six duels, and making four recoveries and three clearances.

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Conor Bradley speaks on his chance to score for Liverpool in Bournemouth win

Conor Bradley had a golden chance to score his first goal for Liverpool during their 4-0 win against Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium.

Darwin Nunez put the Reds 1-0 up in the 49th minute and four minutes later, put a dangerous cross into the box for Bradley. The latter, however, made a mess of his header and his attempt was agonizingly wide.

Speaking on the chance to score his first goal for the club, the Liverpool No. 84 said, via the aforementioned source:

"The header... I don't know what happened, I couldn't believe I had the chance! I thought I was going to score but I missed it. The second shot was a good save - but gutted about that [header]"

Just a minute after that header, Bradley had another chance to score. A Harvey Elliott corner kick found its way to the Northern Irishman, who let fly with his left foot, only for the shot to be saved by the goalkeeper. He has yet to score a goal in his 11 career games for Liverpool's senior side.