Liverpool's Jordan Rossiter thrilled with Premier League debut
Tuesday 25 August 2015 16:15, UK
Jordan Rossiter said he was "over the moon" after making his Premier League debut for Liverpool against Arsenal on Monday Night Football.
The midfielder, a product of the Reds youth academy, replaced Lucas in the latter stages of the game, which finished 0-0 despite both sides having a number of good chances.
Rossiter watched from the bench in the first-half as Philippe Coutinho hit the woodwork twice and Petr Cech denied Christian Benteke with a close-range save.
The 18-year-old admitted he was surprised to be tasked with helping his side see out the game as Arsenal pressed in the second period.
He told Liverpoolfc.com: "I found out I was travelling down on Sunday. I didn't expect to be coming on in the last 10 minutes, especially at 0-0. But I was made up, over the moon.
"[The manager] called me and said he wanted me to go on for Lucas, with [James] Milner dropping deep and then me pushing on a bit.
"He said to work hard and enjoy it, and to make sure I kept it tight. We got the result in the end.
"The lads were brilliant. We were thinking 'how aren't we a goal up, or two or three?' Their goalkeeper was man of the match, I thought – that says it all.
"They were brilliant and it's only going to help us going into Saturday and the season."
Rossiter marked his senior debut for Liverpool last season with a long range strike against Middlesbrough in the Capital One Cup at Anfield.
The youngster knows he still has some way to go before becoming a first-team regular but says he wants to make more memories with his hometown club.
"I don't know whether it tops my debut goal," he said of his appearance at the Emirates.
"But it was another great experience and it's only going to help me in the future. I just need to push on now – it's all gone, forget about it.
"Once you get that taste you just want more. But I know I've got to be patient. [Jordan] Henderson and [Adam] Lallana were injured and they are going to come back into it.
"But I can only keep on improving every day and hopefully get my chance again."
