Liam Delap only had 24 minutes on the pitch at Anfield, but the Nottingham Forest striker still managed to leave his mark.
The new signing played a big part in Forest’s second goal. He took a quick throw-in on the left to Neco Williams into the area. Williams got to it and was brought down by Alisson. Morgan Gibbs-White scored the penalty and Forest were back in front.
Some Liverpool supporters thought Liam Delap had taken the throw with a foot off the ground. Replays showed otherwise, so the throw was legal.
Liam Delap has throwing in his genes
Delap is the son of Rory Delap, the former Premier League midfielder famous for his enormous throw-ins at Stoke City.
Liam had a similar talent from a young age. He was also a keen javelin thrower and started taking long throws for his football team when he was nine.
They quickly became a weapon.
The Daily Mail reported that opposition parents complained about his throws when he was playing youth football because he could repeatedly put the ball into the box.
That eventually led to him being stopped from taking them.
More than 10 years later, Delap’s throw-in was back in the spotlight. This one wasn’t a giant delivery, but it still helped Forest take the lead at Anfield.
And that’s probably the more important part for Forest.
Delap had only just arrived from Chelsea, and his first appearance was always going to attract attention. He didn’t score, but he was involved in a key moment as Nottingham Forest twice took the lead.
Forest supporters, though, will be hoping Delap becomes known for something else too: scoring regularly.
