Liverpool centre-back Nat Phillips produced a wonderful display of composure in last night's Champions League win against AC Milan.
The 24-year-old defender has struggled for first team minutes under Jurgen Klopp this season but was trusted to do a job against the likes of Zlatan Ibrahimovic at the San Siro - and did so with relative ease.
In fact, at 2-1 up thanks to goals from Mohamed Salah and Divock Origi, a cool, calm and collected Phillips pulled off a Cruyff turn in his own penalty box; a piece of skill that left midfielder Franck Kessie in a heap on the floor.
Phillips then brought the ball out and delivered a pinpoint pass to Origi. "So calm under pressure from Nat Phillips," said the BT Sport commentator. It was a moment that summed up his performance.
Jurgen Klopp later called it "the situation of the game".
"He played an outstanding game," the Liverpool manager added in his post-match press conference. "Nat with that situation... I didn't see it, only from distance. I'm really looking forward to seeing it for the first time.
"We spoke already in the dressing room about it. It was a tricky one!"
As you can imagine, social media quickly reacted to the Cruyff turn antics.
Last week, Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp labelled Phillips' development since joining the club as "absolutely insane".
In a press conference ahead of their Premier League clash against Wolves, the German spoke about those who have made the biggest improvements under his guidance.
"People ask me which player made the biggest improvement under my leadership and I said Robert Lewandowski and that's probably right, but not far off that is Nat Phillips." he said.
"It is just a completely different department, but I remember when I first saw Nat Phillips, after the game - and he is one of the smartest players I've ever had.
"I spoke to him and said, 'You know you are not easy on the eye?' He then improved in pretty much everything - everything - and he is not playing here. Life is sometimes not fair."
Phillips, who joined Liverpool's academy in 2016 after a spell at Bolton, has been heavily linked with a move to Newcastle and West Ham in recent weeks.
"We cannot keep him forever, but it is clear in the moment we needed him to be safe for the half-year for sure." Klopp continued.
"We will see what happens in the winter [transfer window] but we needed him here and he was fine doing it because he's a great guy. The development is absolutely insane, honestly.
"You saw it last year, when you thought about Nat Phillips you thought, 'Oh my God, he plays in the last line' and stuff like this, but the way he played... yes, we love him because of his heading, but with his feet meanwhile he's unbelievable.
"He was just a late starter, but from there on it was absolutely insane and I would sign him for each club I would be at apart from Liverpool because we [already] have him."
Featured Image Credit:Topics: Liverpool, Football, AC Milan, Champions League, Skill
