Empire of the Kop
·22 December 2025
One Liverpool player enjoyed a notable career landmark on Saturday which has gone under the radar

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Yahoo sportsEmpire of the Kop
·22 December 2025

Amid the chaos at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday, one Liverpool player enjoyed a seminal career landmark which went largely unnoticed.
There were two instances of Reds substitutes being later withdrawn as Alexander Isak came on for Conor Bradley at half-time before the striker’s serious injury saw him replaced by Jeremie Frimpong, who himself was subbed off for Federico Chiesa in the 90th minute.
Even after all that, Arne Slot had two substitutions remaining in stoppage time and used both of them in the 99th minute. Andy Robertson came on for Hugo Ekitike as the champions sought to hold onto their tenuous 2-1 lead.
The other change was a notable one as Florian Wirtz – who appeared to be nursing his hamstring – was replaced by Trey Nyoni, who duly made his Premier League debut for Liverpool, albeit one which lasted no more than two minutes and consisted of one single touch of the ball.

(Photo by Lewis Storey/Getty Images)
It was the 18-year-old’s ninth official first-team appearance for the Reds, but the previous eight all came in much-changed domestic cup line-ups or a Champions League fixture of zero consequence for us (the 3-2 defeat to PSV Eindhoven at the end of last season’s league phase).
Considering everything that happened in north London on Saturday – the continuation of Liverpool’s winning streak (after nearly throwing it away), the suspected leg break for Isak, two red cards for Spurs and plenty of other flashpoints – Nyoni’s top-flight debut was reduced to a mere footnote in a wider context.
However, for any player to make their first appearance in the Premier League (no matter how brief) is a significant career milestone, and it’s a glowing reflection of his ability that he was entrusted to play in a high-profile fixture in the division at the age of only 18.
Andy Robertson remarked during pre-season in July that the teenage midfielder has ‘a hell of a future‘ ahead of him, and the youngster must’ve been floating with delight after that ringing endorsement from a European champion and two-time winner of the English top flight.
Nyoni is likely to be consigned to a bit-part role for the remainder of this campaign – Liverpool are reportedly prepared to entertain suitable loan offers for him next month – but his frequent appearances in matchday squads since the summer attest to how highly Slot regards him.
Congratulations to Trey on officially becoming a Premier League player, and hopefully Saturday will be the first of many top-flight appearances for him in the famous red shirt!
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