Curtis Jones was left to reflect on another “dream come true” after he and his youngsters dug in to keep Liverpool’s Anfield record alive.
The Reds last loss at home in all competitions came with the 2-1 defeat to Chelsea in the League Cup in September 2018, and since then they have won 36 of their 40 games there.
That record was under threat as Neil Critchley took charge of the club’s youngest-ever side in their FA Cup fourth round replay against League One’s Shrewsbury on Tuesday.
But on a night when Jones became the club’s youngest-ever captain, a Ro-Shaun Williams own goal was enough to seal progress to the fifth round and maintain an incredible record at Anfield.
For Jones, it was an “unbelievable” night, as he discussed the significance of his captaincy with LFCTV:
“Special, wow. I think that’s an understatement. It’s a dream come true.
“Trent’s dream himself is to captain the team, my dream is to captain the team, and the rest of the players’ is to captain the team.
“It’s an unbelievable club, it’s got unbelievable history, it’s got unbelievable fans.
“It’s just an amazing feeling to be out there and playing, but to be captain of the team is just that extra bit special.”
Jones also gave his thoughts on the Anfield winning streak, and believes he and his young team-mates could have given Jurgen Klopp a “problem” when it comes to the clash with Chelsea in March:
“We kept the run going which is an amazing feeling.
“I think a few of the boys that are on their break now will have been hoping and praying that we keep it going, and we did.
“We’ve got Chelsea next, and I think a lot of the boys have given the manager a problem to pick a side.
“I think all the boys put in a great shift, and showed character, belief, everything that the manager looks for in his players.
“We look forward to the next round and hopefully it’s another win, and we’ll just see how it goes from there.”
Taking to his Instagram story, Harvey Elliott described the game as “the proudest moment in my career,” and hailed the likes of Jake Cain, Adam Lewis and Liam Millar on their debut:
“I’m lost for words right now about tonight’s game.
“The proudest moment in my career, seeing so many boys making their debuts and showing their class, why they’re the best youngsters.
“That win was for the fans, the coaching staff and for the team.”
Elsewhere on Instagram, Cain relished the “unbelievable feeling,” Pedro Chirivella embraced a “special club” and Ki-Jana Hoever thanked fans for their “amazing support”:
https://www.instagram.com/p/B8Kbo0kJoF0/
https://www.instagram.com/p/B8KeJ_Hg4jk/
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The young Reds were joined on the night by James Milner, who has forgone a mid-season holiday to stay on Merseyside as he continues rehabilitation for a hamstring injury.
Milner shared his delight at the victory, along with others watching along from elsewhere:
https://www.instagram.com/p/B8KY0xklA01/
Well done ??? pic.twitter.com/ZJiUMA48tC
— Virgil van Dijk (@VirgilvDijk) February 4, 2020
We are @LFC!! And we do it on @EmiratesFACup as well!!#ADR13N ??? pic.twitter.com/2UXfgo5Voo
— Adrián San Miguel (@AdriSanMiguel) February 4, 2020
Yes boys ???? #YNWA https://t.co/wd0Myg40IK
— Trent Alexander-Arnold (@trentaa98) February 4, 2020
GO ON THE BOYS ???? #YNWA https://t.co/jeZZWRXbes
— Andy Robertson (@andrewrobertso5) February 4, 2020
Made up for Caoimhín and all the young lads last night. What a performance! ?? #cleansheet ?#YNWA pic.twitter.com/RyH1WUwKZ6
— Andrew Lonergan (@Lonners24) February 5, 2020
It was clearly a special night for Liverpool all round, and though the next outing comes at Norwich on February 15, some of those to feature in the FA Cup will be hoping for another taste of first-team football at Stamford Bridge.
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