Chelsea and Arsenal stars react as Ryan Gravenberch makes Liverpool debut
Dutch midfielder Ryan Gravenberch made his long-awaited debut for Liverpool during their 3-1 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers, coming off the bench in the second half. The 21-year-old later took to Instagram to acknowledge his debut for the Reds.
After completing a move to Anfield this summer, Gravenberch was made to wait for his debut with the Reds due to the international break. He refused to join up with his country's U21 squad for the international window, preferring to remain in Merseyside.
Ryan Gravenberch came off the bench in the 93rd minute to replace Mohamed Salah, who registered two assists for the Reds. The midfielder went on to post pictures from his debut for his 852,000 followers with the caption:
"Debut as a Red. #WOLLIV"
The post has so far generated 163,000 likes and 1000 comments, including from two of his compatriots who play for rivals Arsenal and Chelsea.
Ian Maatsen and Jurrien Timber showed their support for Gravenberch by commenting heart emojis under the post. Chelsea full-back Maatsen played with Ryan Gravenberch for the Dutch U21 team at the Euros in the summer as they failed to make it out of their group. The Liverpool midfielder also played with Arsenal's Timber at Ajax, where both men began their professional careers.
Ryan Gravenberch makes debut in dramatic Liverpool win
Gravenberch was introduced off the bench in added time, when Liverpool had already secured the result at the Molineux. The Reds were 3-1 up by the time the 21-year-old entered the fray.
Liverpool were very fortunate after a horrible first half showing to still be in the game. Wolves took an early lead through Hwang Hee-chan before squandering a number of clear-cut opportunities to double their advantage. The Reds were making basic errors and looked like a team short of match fitness throughout the opening period.
Jurgen Klopp made some tactical adjustments in the second half which saw his team's performance improve. Cody Gakpo got on the end of a cross from Salah in the 55th minute to level the scores.
With five minutes remaining in the second half, Andy Robertson finished off another Salah assist to put his side ahead for the first time. The points were sealed in added time when Harvey Elliott saw his shot deflect past Wolves goalkeeper Jose Sa and into the back of the net.
Gravenberch came off the bench and delivered a decent cameo. He had nine touches of the ball and attempted three dribbles and three passes. He also won two of five ground duels he contested in his time on the pitch.