After making his Premier League debut for Liverpool in his side’s 2-2 draw with Newcastle United, Lewis Koumas promised that the performance is simply a stepping stone to build on.
With Nottingham Forest at home the next fixture for the Reds, the 20-year-old vowed that the occasion will provide an opportunity to show off the ‘real Liverpool’ in front of their own fans.
Speaking with Liverpoolfc.com, he said, “We’ll be back at Anfield in the Premier League, so that helps itself with the home crowd. We’re going to need them and we’re going to look to put up a performance.”
In his first competitive match as manager, Andoni Iraola’s side looked a little off-colour in their season opener, relying on a late 99th-minute penalty from Dominik Szoboszlai to rescue a point for the Reds.
Questions have already been raised about the balance in the team’s midfield after both of Newcastle’s goals came through counter-attacks where the likes of Ryan Gravenberch and Dominik Szoboszlai were caught out of position.
Meanwhile, in attack, apart from Cody Gakpo, who was lively throughout, others struggled to break through the Magpies’ rigid defensive structure.
Koumas, though, seemed unflustered following the result.
“It was quite an end-to-end game and we just needed a little boost at the end, and Victor [Munoz] got us the pen to equalise,” he said.
“I think it’s just a couple of counter-attacks. I think we can easily fix them and yeah, we’ll look to do that in the week. It’s tough [here]. The atmosphere is tough to play in and I thought we coped well and then we showed character to come back and draw the game.”
Coming on in place of Gravenberch in the 78th minute, Koumas made his first appearance in the league for the Reds – a special moment for the forward who has been with the club since U11 level.
With the score 2-1 to Newcastle at the time, the youngster, who has already made 12 appearances for his national team Wales, was delighted to have contributed to his side's first point of the season.
“This is the peak,” he said. “It’s quite emotional, to be honest. Now that it’s finally happened, it just takes me back to the very first moments where it was my mum sacrificing absolutely everything to get me to any session I could be at.
“I remember being at Crewe, being at Tranmere, and my mum was just doing everything.
“So ultimately it’s her to thank for being able to put myself out there and now we've reached this stage. It’s just a happy family moment and I’m just really happy she could see it.”
Koumas' emergence presents new manager Andoni Iraola with a compelling tactical option on the flank.Having impressed during pre-season and proved his ability to raise the tempo late in tight matches, the 20-year-old is making a strong push to remain a key part of the first-team rotation.
With Liverpool preparing to return to Anfield to host Nottingham Forest, Koumas and his teammates know that a clinical, high-intensity performance in front of the home crowd will be essential to establish their identity and turn early-season momentum into three points.
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