Ward: One disappointment during a special debut
Danny Ward's personal delight with making his debut for Liverpool was tinged with professional disappointment at seeing a clean sheet slip away in the final minute.
The goalkeeper was handed a first senior appearance for the club on Sunday as Jürgen Klopp made 10 changes to his team for the Barclays Premier League clash at Bournemouth.
A string of impressive saves, particularly in the second half, seemed to be guiding Ward to a shut-out to mark the occasion – until Josh King swiped a stoppage-time consolation into the bottom corner.
The strike did not affect the end result, a 2-1 victory for the Reds, but it did blemish an otherwise memorable afternoon for the 22-year-old between the posts.
He told Liverpoolfc.com: “It was special for me and my family, but I’m more disappointed that I didn’t get a clean sheet at the end. That’s what I’m there to do – keep the ball out of the net.
“It’s disappointing not to keep the clean sheet, but overall I felt quite confident out there. I thought the lads in front of me put in a real shift as well, which helped.
“The lads they [Bournemouth] put up there are a handful, they are big strong boys and they have got a yard of pace as well.
“The boys at the back did really well in controlling them and putting their bodies on the line when they had to. We defended really well as a unit.”
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After his team’s exertions during the dramatic Europa League triumph against Borussia Dortmund last Thursday, Klopp changed every player in his starting XI aside from Roberto Firmino.
The Brazil international’s tap-in opened the scoring at the Vitality Stadium and Daniel Sturridge doubled Liverpool’s lead before half-time with a superb header.
Ward felt the younger members of the side – the likes of Sheyi Ojo, Connor Randall, Brad Smith and Kevin Stewart – acquitted themselves admirably to beat a tricky opponent.
“The manager sees us all every day and knows what we’re about,” he said. “We’re a hard-working bunch and that goes for everyone, not just the young boys.
“It’s nice to see the young boys out there, performing the way they have and getting a win in the Premier League. It’s special to be able to make 10 changes and have so many young boys playing.”