It's the dream of football-mad youngsters all over Merseyside, but it became reality for Tyler Morton at the weekend, when he made his Premier League debut.

The Wallasey-born midfielder was a second half substitute in Liverpool's impressive 4-0 demolition of Arsenal at Anfield on Saturday evening.

The talented 19-year-old was on the receiving end of a big hug from Jurgen Klopp before replacing Thiago Alcantara - an 11-time league title winner with Barcelona and Bayern Munich - in the 84th minute.

Speaking to the club's in-house television channel LFCTV after the match, Morton said: "It's obviously very emotional when your whole family are here and people who you know have watched the match for years, like my mates, are all here watching me.

"It just gets emotional, clapping the fans at the end. It's a boyhood dream since I was born really. I've been coming to the game since I was three or four. I can't really express the feeling."

Morton was playing for Greenleas JFC in the Eastham & District Junior League when he was snapped up by the Liverpool Academy at just seven years old.

Now, 12 years on, he has worked his way through the youth ranks to earn the right to share a pitch with global superstars like Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane and Jordan Henderson.

Having turned down an offer to join Everton, he made his under-18 debut in the 2019-20 season, scoring in a 6-1 victory against the club's Merseyside rivals.

The following season, he played a key role in helping Liverpool reach the FA Youth Cup Final.

Morton signed a new long-term contract at Anfield in January and after appearing for the first team in pre-season, made his first competitive first team appearance as a substitute against Norwich City in the EFL Cup on September 21.

But having now tasted Premier League action, the Wirral prodigy could be about to feature more prominently, with Liverpool currently experiencing a handful of injury problems in midfield.

The Reds are next in action at Anfield on Wednesday evening against FC Porto in the Champions League. And with Liverpool having already qualified from the group, Morton's Champions League debut could arrive as early as this week, should Klopp choose to put his faith in him.

Speaking about his cameo against Arsenal, Morton told LiverpoolFC.com: "There wasn't much I could have done in the 10 minutes. I came on and tried to control the game, the manager told me to try to calm it down a bit and get everyone on the ball and get playing and show what I've got. I think that's what I did.

"I feel like I've got plenty more to come and hopefully I can showcase that soon. I'd love to be involved (against Porto) but we will see what happens."