Conor Bradley admitted during the first half of Thursday's Carabao Cup semi-final second leg. on the night, with Cody Gakpo, Mohamed Salah, Dominik Szoboszlai and Virgil van Dijk all scoring, but 's comments indicate that the team found it harder than the scoreline suggests.
The aggregate score was 1-1 at half-time of the second leg, before Liverpool scored three times in the second half to secure a place in March's Wembley final versus Newcastle. Spurs appeared to abandon the gung-ho approach they have become known for under Ange Postecoglou in the first half, instead opting for a pragmatic game plan which took Liverpool by surprise.
READ MORE:
READ MORE:
Bradley admitted: "It was different to what we were expecting, but it was difficult in the first half to break them down." Having eventually broken the visiting team's resolve and emerged as comfortable winners, Bradley said of the Reds' victory: "I loved it. We knew it was going to be a difficult game. Buzzing to get through to the final."
Liverpool head coach Arne Slot praised Bradley for his performance on the night, after the youngster once more underlined his quality at first-team level. "I'm sure he is buzzing with it," Slot said. "It is his first attempt to get there [Wembley] and he has got there. I am happy for him and he has been unbelievable since he has come in. He has developed me a lot and I'm really happy to play under him."
Slot spoke about Bradley again during a press conference on Friday ahead of Sunday's trip to Plymouth Argyle in the FA Cup, as a reporter asked whether the youngster's performances this season prove that he is ready to replace Trent Alexander-Arnold, should the England international leave the club this summer.
"You've come up with a different idea of asking this question (about Trent leaving)!" Slot joked. "I think it's fair to say that for many positions we have many good players. I can go through the whole team telling you this. It's normal if you work at a club of this magnitude, that you have more than 11 good players."
