Liverpool returned to winning ways on Monday night against Everton and the game saw Stefan Bajcetic announce himself as the club’s newest star.
Bajcetic was making just his third start in the Premier League, and his 13th appearance in all competitions, but his inexperience was not evident in the Merseyside derby. The 18-year-old put in a brilliant performance in midfield, earning the man of the match award as goals from Mohamed Salah and Cody Gakpo helped Liverpool pick up a 2-0 win.
Bajcetic showed remarkable composure in the middle of the pitch, helping Jordan Henderson and Fabinho get the better of the midfield battle against Amadou Onana, Abdoulaye Doucoure and Idrissa Gueye. He won the ball back on several occasions while producing some eye-catching touches and passes.
The Anfield crowd showed their appreciation for the young Spaniard – and after the game he received the plaudits of Jurgen Klopp and Salah. On social media there was another glowing endorsement from Steven Gerrard.
The Liverpool legend took to Instagram to pay tribute to his performance. Under a post from Liverpool which read “Brilliant tonight @Stefanbajcetic”, he posted a fire and clapping emoji.
His praise was echoed by former Liverpool players Jose Enrique and Jay Spearing. Ex-defender Enrique wrote simply “MOTM”, while Spearing added “Class tonight”.
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Bajcetic was still on a high when he was interviewed post-match by Sky Sports. “To be fair, it was a different position and I thought it would be less comfortable, but it was good and I enjoyed it a lot,” he said.
Asked whether it was the best Liverpool performance he's been part of, he added: “I would say so. We all knew it was a very important win for us and now hopefully we keep going and win more games.
“It's crazy, to be fair! I always say a year ago I was playing U18s football and now I'm playing [at] Anfield. That's just happened in one year and it's so crazy. I'm enjoying it a lot here.”
Salah was full of praise for the young midfielder, hailing him as Liverpool’s best player. “He's a great player, he's a great person,” he said.
“He always tries to work hard and since he started playing with us, he's our best player maybe. Hopefully he stays with that confidence and just keeps going.”
Klopp was similarly delighted for him. “Stefan showed up tonight, we’re really happy with him, he’s a top boy, really smart, obviously calm," he said. "We played him in a new position, he was a centre-half, then we put him at 6, tonight as an 8. I asked him if he liked it, he said ‘oh yes!’”
Bajcetic is likely to keep his place in the Liverpool side when they travel to Tyneside to face Newcastle in the Premier League on Saturday. Klopp's side are ninth in the table, nine points behind Newcastle, albeit with a game in hand.
