Teen who grew up in Kildare enjoys 'surreal' night on Liverpool bench for Champions League tie

It was a night to celebrate for Liverpool fans in Anfield last night as the reds dismantled Manchester City in a stunning first half performance to take a 3-0 lead into the second leg of their Champions League quarter-final.

Goals from Mohamed Salah, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Sadio Mane put Jurgen Klopp's men three up inside the opening 30 minutes, and from there they close out the game well.

It was a big night as well for Conor Masterson, a Lucan native who grew up in Celbridge, as he made it onto the Liverpool bench for the glamour tie. The inexperienced centre-half didn't get onto the pitch, but it was a memorable night nonetheless for him.

RTE's soccer correspondent, Tony O'Donoghue, managed to get a word with Klopp about the 19-year-old, and the German said that he was 'a good boy' and 'very confident'.

https://twitter.com/RTEsoccer/status/981658033531928577

Speaking after the game, Masterson said;

"It was an unbelievable experience.”

“Just going out to warm-up and to see the fans and the atmosphere, it was just surreal, really.

“The team was unbelievable with the performance — 3-0 against the best side in the country.

“I like to come across confident, it’s a good thing to have,” he replied, when asked about his manager’s comments. “That’s just the way I am, I’m just being myself and I think that’s key to success.

“I have to thank Lucan United and everybody there who got me here.”