Liverpool were eliminated from the FA Cup on Tuesday night after they suffered a 2-0 defeat at Stamford Bridge, however, there was one positive to take from the evening.
The performance of their 18-year-old right-back Neco Williams earned him plenty of praise on social media.
A product of the club’s youth academy, Williams played the entire 90 minutes and got the Liverpool fans talking after the game.
Were you impressed by Williams' display at Chelsea?
Yes
No
Neco Williams was excellent last night, very young with an awful lot to learn but he didn’t look out of place at all
Very exciting prospect & a player that will save us a lot of money on fee’s
Be interesting to see how his rise will affect Trent perhaps moving into midfield ?
— James (@HotActionKop) March 4, 2020
Neco Williams is miles ahead of Trent but our own fans aren’t ready for that conversation yet
— bailey (@lfcbaiIey) March 3, 2020
He’s acc class
— ?? (@vsap_rockyy) March 3, 2020
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Neco Williams has just saved Van Dijk’s skin
— Scott (@Scottlfc87) March 3, 2020
Neco Williams is a baller hth
— ?????? (@UnstoppableLFC) March 3, 2020
Hows Neco Williams alr better than Lovren
— s (@sabilantsya) March 3, 2020
What do we think?
It appears these fans were very pleased with the defender’s performance but judging by his match rating on WhoScored.com, it wasn’t so impressive when compared to his teammates. Williams’ display was rated at 5.67/10, with only Fabinho (5.46/10) and Adrian (5.63/10) ranking lower.
The youngster has made four appearances in the FA Cup this season and one in the Carabao Cup (via Transfermarkt.co.uk) and at this stage in his career, we believe it’s all about development. Therefore, his match rating may have produced a harsh reflection of his potential capabilities.