10 duels won: Liverpool ace who was ‘a joy to watch’ subtly sent Slot a reminder of his talents

For one Liverpool player, the night of 15 October 2024 will live long in the memory for all the right reasons.

In just his second game as captain of Northern Ireland, Conor Bradley helped his country to one of the biggest wins in their history as they thrashed Bulgaria 5-0 in the UEFA Nations League at Windsor Park.

Former Everton youngster Isaac Price naturally dominated the headlines with a memorable hat-trick, but the role of Michael O’Neill’s skipper certainly wasn’t overlooked either.

Bradley dubbed ‘a joy to watch’

Graham Lunney of the Belfast Telegraph awarded Bradley a seven in his player ratings and praised the Liverpool defender’s contribution to the emphatic victory, albeit noting that the 21-year-old has had more impactful performances.

The journalist wrote: “Proud captain once again, the Liverpool man is a joy to watch when he’s bursting forward with pace. Quiet game by his own high standards but still a class act.”

Bradley served Liverpool a gentle reminder of his talents

It might seem a little surprising that a player of Bradley’s attacking qualities didn’t contribute a goal or an assist in a 5-0 win, but the right-back was nothing short of excellent with the defensive side of his game on Tuesday night.

As per Sofascore, the Northern Ireland captain won a whopping 10 duels and four tackles, along with making two interceptions and one clearance. He was a bit more subdud going forward but still recorded one successful dribble and one accurate cross.

Curiously, the 21-year-old has played more than twice as many minutes for his country (360) than Liverpool (169) since the start of the club season, although his performance in Belfast sent a reminder to Arne Slot as to what he can offer for the Reds.

Bradley was brought on as a substitute for Trent in our first four Premier League matches this term but has since been confined to a Carabao Cup start and a late cameo off the bench against Bologna (Transfermarkt), with the youngster finding the England international impossible to dislodge.

However, with the fixtures coming thick and fast for LFC now that the international action is done for this month, the Northern Ireland skipper is bound to be called upon by his Anfield boss. His displays for his country suggest that he’s ready to play an influential part for Liverpool when needed.

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