Liverpool youngster Nat Phillips was delighted with the “great team performance” Jurgen Klopp’s Reds put in to overcome Everton in the FA Cup third round.
Phillips spent the first half of the season on loan in Germany with VfB Stuttgart. He made seven starts in Bundesliga II but was then recalled to Anfield at the turn of the year.
The 22-year-old centre-half then made his first-team debut for The Reds in the 1-0 win over Everton last weekend, partnering Joe Gomez at the heart of Liverpool’s backline.
Speaking to Liverpoolfc.com about his debut, Phillips said:
“Obviously [it’s] the highlight of my career so far to play in a derby at Anfield in the FA Cup, get a win and a clean sheet.
“I mean, you can’t really ask for much more from your professional debut for Liverpool. I’ve just got to enjoy it now.
“It’s a great club to be at – at this moment in time as well because they’re doing so well. Of course, I’m enjoying it, I’m enjoying training at such a high standard, you’ve got to be hitting [it] every single day. So you’re improving as a player so much.
“It’s a great group of lads as well, so it’s a nice atmosphere to be working in.”
Phillips also spoke about his initial surprise at the pace and intensity of the derby match.
“It was a bit of a shock for me first 10 minutes at how fast-paced the game was because I’ve been used to a slower-paced game in Germany.
“But you’ve just got to get over that and do your job. Fortunately, we managed to do that with a clean sheet.
“I thought it was a great team performance. We all dug in. It was a difficult game obviously.”
While Phillips isn’t likely to see much Premier League action for Liverpool this season, he will almost certainly be involved with the first-team again in the next round of the FA Cup. The Reds travel to play the winners of Bristol City and Shrewsbury Town later this month.
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