Conor Bradley and Jarell Quansah respond to helping Liverpool advance to the Carabao Cup final.
Jarell Quansah and Conor Bradley were lined up for Liverpool in an FA Youth Cup final less than three years ago. The budding team is now aiming for a much greater reward.
Bradley and Quansah both started the Reds’ second leg of the League Cup semi-final against Fulham on Wednesday night. A 1-1 draw there was enough to earn a 3-2 aggregate victory and a trip to Wembley to face Chelsea the following month.
It was yet another important development in the 20-year-old pair’s developing careers; they have both begun to show signs of promise this season for Jurgen Klopp’s revamped team.
Quansah, who plays centre defence with captain Virgil van Dijk, was making just his 12th start since making his professional debut in August. Bradley, who missed a large portion of the season due to injury, is proving to be a capable right-back substitute for Trent Alexander-Arnold.
“Virgil has demonstrated over the last five or ten years that he has been one of the best center-backs in the world, and in my opinion the best,” Quansah continues. It is beneficial for all of us to have him at your side when you play the game. Some may argue that this is because we had a less skilled right side, but Con and I have played together for a long time and are very familiar with one another’s games.
“It’s a huge accomplishment for us to be able to carry it over here and remain united like we did at the Youth Cup.
“Being in a final is wonderful. When you’re a young football player, the finals are where you want to be. Though you never truly think about it, you imagine it. Still, it’s a dream come true to really do it. And it’s been amazing to watch Con develop both personally and as a player.”
Ibrahima Konate, who was brought on for the last stages at Craven Cottage to help Liverpool stave off a late Fulham comeback, was not favoured over Quansah. Additionally, the young player may get another opportunity to shine on Sunday when they play Norwich City at home in the FA Cup fourth-round match.
“There’s a lot of competition between everyone and everyone is going to want to start in the final, so it’s about taking every opportunity that comes,” according to him. “There are a lot of games between now and then, so any game I can get and chance I can get I’ll try to play my best and get rhythm and form.”
Due to Klopp’s desire to give young players a chance, Quansah and Bradley have benefited. This season, Academy grads Luke Chambers, James McConnell, Owen Beck, Kaide Gordon, Calum Scanlon, and Bobby Clark have all been handed minutes. Out of Liverpool’s twenty-man roster against Fulham, eight had advanced from Kirkby.
Bradley says, “It builds confidence so much.” It’s unbelievable that the manager has faith in me to play in a cup semi-final for my dream team, Liverpool, especially with Jarell as we are both young players. What a wonderful trust he has in us.”
Klopp says, “They just play to their skill set.” “They are two excellent boys, but then you introduce Bobby, who now has a manly appearance. He is so young! Trey (Nyoni), James, and Owen (sitting on the bench) are all incredibly talented players. Why don’t we bring them because we’ve seen in the last two weeks that they’re ready?”
The Northern Ireland international has already played at Wembley, having won the EFL Trophy during a loan spell at Bolton Wanderers last season when Plymouth Argyle were thrashed 4-0 in front of nearly 80,000 spectators. Bradley started alongside Quansah in the FA Youth Cup final loss at Aston Villa in May 2021.
Luis Diaz’s goal early in Wednesday’s match against Fulham proved crucial in the end and extended the Colombian’s current winning streak. In an interview with LFC TV, Bradley adds, “I can assure you that he’s difficult to train against! Lucho has been fantastic for us the past several weeks; hopefully, he can continue to score goals.
We were in complete control for the first 75 minutes, and when they scored, the crowd cheered. Nevertheless, we’re just relieved to have won and are eager to travel to Wembley.
“This season, we want to win everything. This is just the beginning of getting to the final; there are four events up for grabs, and we plan to attempt and win them all. We intend to continue.
