Conor Bradley admitted he was in a dream-like state after scoring his first Liverpool goal and recording two assists as Jurgen Klopp's team moved five points clear at the top of the Premier League table with a 4-1 thrashing of Chelsea on Wednesday night.
The 22-year-old Northern Ireland international, who has been exceptional since earning a starting berth following an injury to Trent Alexander-Arnold, whipped the Anfield fans into a frenzy in the 39th minute when he hammered an angled shot into the far corner after a surging run.
"I just feel like I'm in a dream," the Tyrone native told TNT Sports.
"It's a very proud moment. It's something I've dreamed of for a very long time.
"It's unbelievable. I just couldn't believe it went in. I didn't know what to do, so I just went over to the corner and did a knee slide.
"I've just got to try and take my chance. Over the last few games, I think I've done pretty well, and I just want to keep up this form and keep working hard."
His manager was suitably impressed by a display which saw Bradley become the youngest Liverpool player to both score and assist a goal in a Premier League match since Raheem Sterling, who was on the pitch for Chelsea on Wednesday, nearly 10 years ago.
For his first assist, he fed Jota, who bundled past two Chelsea defenders before breaking the deadlock in the 23rd minute.
"What a wonderful kid he is," Klopp said of Bradley.
"Outstanding finish, the whole game, the contribution, the involvement. It's a job to play against Sterling, that's not easy. I'm really happy for him... that was pretty special."
The youngster got another assist when he left a defender in his wake in the 65th minute before launching a pinpoint cross that Dominik Szoboszlai leapt to head past Djordje Petrovic.
"We just gave everything that we had, the first 11 and the guys who came in. We showed our quality and 4-1 is a good result," Szoboszlai told the BBC.
"(Bradley) just put the ball on my head so I didn't really have to do much. We are really happy to have him because he showed many times that he is ready to play."
Speaking on TNT Sports after the game, former Liverpool striker Robbie Fowler said the Tyrone man has shown both in defence and attack why he deserves a starting spot, regardless of Alexander-Arnold's return to fitness.
"Every Liverpool player was good, but I think that was a special performance (by Bradley)," he said.
"Liverpool now have great players in different positions, but the manager will have a headache now because I'm not sure whether you can leave him out of the side.
"When he has played, he has performed brilliantly. Going forward he has been magnificent, but defensively tonight, he had a lot of players in his pocket."
