21 February 2024 , 23:08
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Rob Edwards still managed to share a joke with Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp after his Luton side were beaten 4-1 on Wednesday night.
The Hatters stunned Liverpool by going 1-0 up after just 12 minutes at Anfield when Chiedozie Ogbene headed in at the back post. But the home team roared back in the second half, scoring four times to secure the three points and re-establish their lead at the top of the Premier League.
Virgil van Dijk powered in a header before Cody Gakpo converted another of Alexis Mac Allister’s crosses moments later for 2-1. Luis Diaz fired in at the near post minutes later and Harvey Elliott then found the top corner to complete the fight back.
Liverpool were without 11 first-team players due to injury and the depleted squad forced Klopp to name five academy players on the bench. He called up James McConnell, Bobby Clark, Trey Nyoni, Kaide Gordon and Jayden Danns to the squad and, once the match was won, was able to hand out some game time.
McConnell, Clark and Danns all got onto the pitch in the second half, with the latter making his first-team debut as a substitute for Diaz in the 89th minute. It was a special moment for the 18-year-old striker and he was congratulated by Klopp after the full-time whistle.
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The TV camera caught Klopp embracing the young forward with a grin on his face before Luton manager Edwards appeared. He tapped Klopp on the shoulder and could be seen saying "I played against his dad!" before the Liverpool manager burst out laughing.
Before becoming a coach, Edwards was a well-travelled player for the likes of Wolves and Blackpool and he also won 15 caps for Wales. He came across Neil Danns, the father of Jayden, who shone for the likes of Crystal Palace, Leicester and Birmingham, who has now come through the Reds’ academy to make his bow.
Rob Edwards played with Jayden Danns' dad (PA)His debut came after some praise from Klopp from earlier in the season. “Trey [Nyoni] and Dannsy are special as well from the U18s, [Lewis] Koumas,” Klopp said after the win over Norwich in the FA Cup. “There are a lot of really good players coming up still. The academy is in a good moment, I would say, production-wise. It’s wonderful.”
Danns is ambitious, telling the club website about his goals with Liverpool. “My long-term aim is to be the best player I can possibly be,” he explained recently. “I don’t want to end my career and have any regrets where I could have worked harder. I’d rather just put all the work in and try to get as much as I can from it. Step by step, I want to become the player that I envision.”
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