Even without several first-team regulars due to injury, Liverpool still had too much for European champions Real Madrid on a famous night at Anfield.
Alisson Becker, Diogo Jota, Federico Chiesa and Kostas Tsimikas were all marked absent, while Trent Alexander-Arnold was only fit enough for a place on the bench, but those who did feature got the job done.
Alexis Mac Allister and Cody Gakpo claimed the goals which put Los Blancos to the sword, but for Daniel Sturridge and many others, the Reds’ standout player was Conor Bradley, who brilliantly shackled and tackled Kylian Mbappe.
It was no surprise to see the Northern Ireland youngster being congratulated by numerous Liverpool teammates after the final whistle, and one clip showed a common theme among a group of players embracing the 21-year-old.
Bradley celebrates with fellow Liverpool academy stars
The footage shows Bradley sharing a euphoric hug with Tyler Morton and Harvey Elliott, with Jarell Quansah also in close proximity.
Notably, each of those four players made the transition from the Reds’ underage ranks into the senior team, with the heartwarming moment illustrating the remarkable success rate of talent from the LFC academy.
Admittedly Elliott was signed from Fulham as a 16-year-old and had only half a season for Liverpool’s under-23s before graduating into the first team, but that still entitles him to be grouped alongside the other three players as successful academy products.
Liverpool’s academy is still producing the goods
For many generations, the Reds have forged a reputation for producing some of the foremost talents in English football. Robbie Fowler, Jamie Carragher, Steven Gerrard and Trent Alexander-Arnold are just some of the names who cut their teeth on Merseyside before growing into fully-fledged stars.
Curtis Jones is well on his way to doing the same, and the likes of Bradley and Quansah have already shown that they’re capable of excelling at a high level. Let’s not forget Caoimhin Kelleher, either, who once again came up clutch for his team in the hour of need last night.
With talents such as Trey Nyoni and Rio Ngumoha in the pipeline, too, Liverpool’s academy must remain the envy of many other clubs around England!
You can view the footage of Bradley celebrating with his fellow academy graduates below, via @_iromee on X:
— 🧘🏻♀️ (@_iromee) November 27, 2024