Tyler Morton: I can't stop smiling about my Premier League debut
Tyler Morton could not stop smiling after achieving a boyhood dream for Liverpool on Saturday.
Having made his first two senior appearances away from home in the Carabao Cup this season, the midfielder achieved his Premier League and Anfield debut simultaneously in the 4-0 win over Arsenal.
He replaced Thiago Alcantara in the 84th minute of the Reds’ scintillating victory – a moment of immense pride for the entire Morton family.
It was little surprise, then, that the 19-year-old was beaming with happiness when he tried to express what the opportunity meant to him.
“As you can see on my face, I can’t wipe the smile off it!” Morton told Liverpoolfc.com.
“It’s a different feeling to any other feeling, especially your boyhood club, as everyone will know. Being a fan all my life and now stepping on the pitch, it felt surreal. But that’s where I want to be, so that’s where I’m going to push to be.”
Morton’s family were in the stands at Anfield to witness the Academy graduate’s first experience of top-flight football.
But with a job to do in the centre of the team as Liverpool saw out a comprehensive win against the Gunners, his focus was wholly on the pitch and not the emotion.
He explained: “I was straight in the zone, no messing about for me! I was straight into the game, making sure we secured the win, making sure I kept the ball and doing everything I normally do nicely. It all went to plan in the end.
“My family – everyone dreamed of being a Liverpool footballer and I’ve gone and done it. They tell me every day going to training how proud they are of me. And it just felt so good doing it for them and doing it for my best mate.
“And especially the manager and the players I’m working with are different class, to get a warm ‘well done’ off them is just amazing.”
Morton was satisfied with his contributions in the closing stages of a match Liverpool had effectively sewn up courtesy of strikes by Sadio Mane, Diogo Jota, Mohamed Salah and Takumi Minamino before his introduction.
And with a packed fixture list for the Reds to navigate during the coming weeks, the No.80 is hopeful of securing more game time.
“I thought it went well,” he said. “There wasn’t much I could have done really in the 10 minutes; I came on, I tried to control the game a bit. He told me to control the game, calm it down a bit, get everyone on the ball, get playing, show what I’ve got. I think that’s what I did a little bit.
“I feel like I’ve got plenty more to come and hopefully I can showcase that soon.”