I saw ‘magnificent’ player prove he’s going to be a star for Liverpool next season despite Fulham loss

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Liverpool suffered their first defeat in 27 Premier League matches as they lost 3-2 at Fulham on Sunday.

The Reds were below their best right from the get-go at Craven Cottage and were deservedly punished with a chastening loss.

Heading into the game, plenty of the talk had been over who Arne Slot would start at right-back for Liverpool in west London.

Curtis Jones did well against Everton, but with Fulham’s left side posing a completely different threat it was a surprise to see Slot trust Jones out of position once again.

Unsurprisingly, the midfielder playing at full-back cost Liverpool on the day, with Fulham targeting Jones at every opportunity.

Having seen enough, Slot then turned to Conor Bradley 22 minutes into the second-half. And what came next was a clear showing that Liverpool are in very safe hands next season.

Conor Bradley makes his point against Fulham

It wasn’t that Jones did especially poorly against Fulham, but it is abundantly clear that he is not a natural at right-back.

When Bradley was introduced, the difference was night and day. The young Northern Irishman showed what a talent he is straight from the first minute.

Happily, Bradley showed no signs of the hamstring injury that has kept him out since February as he tore down the right side.

Within five minutes the 21-year-old was setting Luis Diaz up for Liverpool’s second goal of the day.

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That was one of two chances Bradley created during his 23 minutes on the pitch, while he also managed four passes into the final third.

After seeing the youngster add such thrust to Liverpool’s attack, Slot must have been wishing he’d have turned to Bradley far sooner than he did.

Bradley ready to shine next season

One of the biggest talking points of Liverpool’s end to the season has been the future of Trent Alexander-Arnold.

To all intents and purposes, Alexander-Arnold is no longer really a Liverpool player. Injured for most of the rest of the campaign, he will soon be making his way to Real Madrid.

As a result, Liverpool need a new right-back. These past couple of weeks have shown just how badly lost the Reds are when both Trent and Bradley are taken out of the team.

But while questions do remain over his fitness record, Sunday was a real signal from Bradley that he is ready to take on the mantle left by Alexander-Arnold next season. Bradley has been ‘magnificent‘ at times this season and there should no longer be any qualms about him stepping up.

When the chips were down he stood up to be counted and if Liverpool had snatched a late equaliser, it always felt it might come from Bradley. On a bad day for the office, the academy graduate was at least one shining positive for Slot.