For Pedro Chirivella, there could only be one word.
“Unbelievable!” smiled the Spaniard when asked for his Tuesday night assessment.
What an evening it was. Anfield has seen some things in its time, but this was a new one. This was a Liverpool under-23 team taking on EFL opposition and beating them. Shrewsbury, of League One, had drawn with Fabinho, Joel Matip, Dejan Lovren and Divock Origi 10 days ago, but they had no answer to a side led by Neil Critchley and featuring three debutants and no fewer than seven teenagers.
An own goal from Ro-Shaun Williams, 15 minutes from time, sent the Kop kids wild and set up a fifth-round tie away at Chelsea. The celebrations which greeted the final whistle will be remembered for years.
“We fully deserve to go through to the next round,” said Chirivella, and he was not wrong. Liverpool enjoyed 58 per cent possession and dominated both the shots and the corner count.
“It was a proper Liverpool team,” added Chirivella. “A night for everyone to be proud.”
He got that right. At 22, Chirivella was the senior citizen in Critchley’s side, but the former Valencia man, as he had against Everton in the third round, delivered the kind of performance which has fans wondering if he can make an impact with the first team. “Pedro Busquets,” remarked one supporter on Twitter. “Pirlo Chirivella,” joked another.
Chirivella actually made his Liverpool debut under Brendan Rodgers. That was four-and-a-half years ago, when the Reds were a Europa League club and Jurgen Klopp, league titles and Champions League glory were pipe dreams.
How things have changed.
This was only his 11th senior appearance for the Reds, though he has enjoyed spells with both Go Ahead Eagles and Willem II in the interim.
Another loan, to Spanish second-tier side Extremadura, was frustratingly ruined by a registration issue which left him unable to feature for five months during the second half of last season. When he returned to Liverpool, playing as a substitute in a Carabao Cup tie at MK Dons last September, it emerged that they too had failed to properly register him. Having briefly been threatened with expulsion, the Reds were instead hit with a £200,000 fine.
In the meantime, Chirivella’s diligence and physical improvements were noted by staff. Always comfortable in possession, he was urged to work on his defensive game. Adam Lallana, and his insatiable appetite for regaining possession, became an inspiration. Melwood sources say Chirivella’s improvement ‘against the ball’ has been remarkable in recent months.
His Liverpool contract expires at the end of the season, though the club would love him to sign an extension. An offer was made back in December, and sources have told Goal that they are hopeful Chirivella will commit. A loan move in January was blocked, with the club delighted by his performance levels in both training and, whatever the occasion, matches.
“Mentally I feel ready,” he said after Tuesday’s game. “I train every day with the first team and I feel I am getting closer to the level.
“I came [to Liverpool] very early, when I was only 17, and maybe I was not ready yet. Now I feel I am getting there. I am getting very good feedback from the players. My mentality has changed and hopefully I can carry on.”
He certainly looked “ready” against Shrewsbury, dominating the midfield despite having two players – Jake Cain and Leighton Clarkson – who were making their first professional starts alongside him.
Chirivella had captained Liverpool in the Carabao Cup quarter-final defeat to Aston Villa in December, when Klopp and his senior squad were at the Club World Cup in Qatar, but ceded responsibility to Curtis Jones for this game. Jones, at 19 years and five days, became the youngest skipper in the club’s history.
“He’s a real leader on the pitch,” Chirivella said. “There are different types of captain, and he’s the one who shows always on the biggest stage.
“He’s a fantastic player, when you don’t know what to do with the ball, you just give it to him and he will do something, or win a foul or whatever. He’s a great friend of mine as well, and I’m very happy for him.”
And with that, he was gone – though not before answering one last question; does he feel he’s done enough to warrant a chance at Chelsea in the fifth round now?
“I can’t wait,” he smiled. “But first a few days off!”