Liverpool's newest FA Cup hero, Curtis Jones, has admitted his "frustration" at his limited playing time this season and hopes his matchwinning display against Everton will lead to more opportunities.
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp fielded a much-changed side featuring many of the club's younger players for the third round meeting against their city rivals on Sunday, while Everton were close to full strength.
It was billed as Everton's best chance to end their 20-year wait for a win at Anfield, only for Jones to settle the match with a stunning curling effort in the second half.
It was a dream-come-true moment for local boy Jones, although the 18-year-old midfielder is more focused on breaking into Klopp's regular plans.
"I just go out there and try and play my game. It's been frustrating to be on the bench then getting a bit of a taste for it, then on the bench again," he said.
"There are times in my head where I'm begging to come on. So I just tried to go out there and show what I'm capable of doing. Hopefully I've topped it off with a good performance and, what everyone is saying, a great goal.
"I can't sum up my emotions. For me it's huge just being around this team every day and learning from this group of players. There are world-class players all over this team but I think I went out and showed what I could do on the pitch."
Klopp was certainly left impressed by the performance of Jones and his teammates, saying: "I saw a sensationally good performance of a not very experienced team with a lot of players playing for the first time on this kind of stage, in front of this crowd, against this opponent. It was outstanding. I loved it - I loved each second of this game.
"If you want to be a Liverpool player, you have to respect the principles of this club. We cannot always play the best football in the world but we can fight like nobody else. And as long as we use our principles, we will be a difficult opponent to play against."
While Klopp was delighted with his team, Everton manager Carlo Ancelotti was less pleased, blaming his side's defeat on a drop in performance level.
"The line-up of Liverpool didn't affect our idea of how to play," he said. "We knew that Liverpool put in fresh players and that the intensity could be a high intensity, so I think the defeat arrived because we were not able to keep the intensity in the second half.
"We lost energy, we lost confidence, we were not able to build up quick from the back. We are going to speak and work together to find a solution to help improve the team. I know we have to work."
