It was only as James Balagizi raced through on goal, with just goalkeeper Marek Rodak to beat, that the reality of his situation began to sink in.
"I was thinking, ‘Oh my word, what an opportunity!’" the 18-year-old Liverpool loanee tells the ECHO, with a broadening smile. "My eyes lit up. But I thought, ‘Hold on, if I don’t compose myself here I could move rash and blast it over.’ I had to keep my composure, calm and cool and thankfully I slotted.
"I’ve been working on my finishing in training recently, so to put in the work and for everyone to see the end product is a nice feeling."
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Balagizi is of course referring to his goal against Fulham in the League Cup second round last month, a decisive left-footed finish into the bottom corner that helped Crawley Town claim another famous scalp over Premier League opposition - on a night that handed the midfielder his first unforgettable venture within the professional game.
"It was a really special night for Crawley Town, but also for me," he adds. "To score against Premier League opposition and show that, obviously I'm not ready yet, I’m pushing the boundaries to fill my potential. I’m happy that I’m able to play in these types of occasions, so I can prove myself and show people what I can do.
"Every time you go out and step on the pitch is an opportunity to show people what you can do, that night was just so special."
The 18-year-old made the temporary switch to the West Sussex-based side on a season-long loan in June, after signing a new long-term contract at Anfield, and has taken like a duck to water in the English Football League; starting seven of the club's eight league matches so far this term.
Despite interest from elsewhere within the Football League pyramid, Balagizi insists the opportunity to work with the newly-appointed Kevin Betsy, who was his manager within three different age groups across the England youth set-up, was paramount in his decision to leave his family behind in the north-west and move to the Broadfield Stadium.
"That was the main factor in me coming here and because I had that relationship with him I knew he had my best interests at heart," says Balagizi. "I felt like I could develop here, coming away from Liverpool is all about getting the right development, and being with him can help.
"It’s a lot different. Firstly, there’s a lot on the line. Everything is so detailed, the smallest details mean the most. The fans and the atmosphere makes it the real thing, and I’ve been so excited to get into the real thing ever since I was a little kid. So I’m just buzzing about it really.
"I’ve always been eager to play men’s football. I’m so excited to get the buzz off it, you get a buzz from playing in front of the fans and playing for points. I thought as soon as I get the opportunity I want to be playing regularly, competing and doing what I love."
A boyhood Manchester City fan, Balagizi joined Liverpool's pre-academy at the age of just six - where players are able to train freely with multiple clubs before penning official terms when they reach nine years old. Having trained with Manchester United, City and Liverpool, the midfielder departed the Reds to embark on a career at the Etihad stadium, before swiftly returning to Merseyside aged 11.
Despite the vision of emulating some of the Sky Blues' great midfield operators like David Silva, Kevin de Bruyne and more recently Bernardo Silva, Balagizi admits the more he understood about the rich history of Liverpool and Anfield the more appealing the proposition - facilitated by the club's former long-serving head of recruitment Ian Barrigan - became.
"I supported Manchester City growing up, but the more I read and learned about Liverpool and the longer I’ve been there, the more you realise just how special the club is," he says.
"When I moved from under-11s and I saw the opportunities the club was giving, it was so appealing to see the chances they were giving to young players all the time. I remember thinking, 'How is that even possible?!' It was so inspiring for a young kid and a family to see Liverpool was always a club looking to give opportunities to young players.
"It was really appealing to me and that’s why I came here, I’ve loved it ever since and it’s the best thing that has ever happened to me in my life."
After excelling under the stewardship of under-18s manager Marc Bridge Wilkinson as the young Reds reached the FA Youth Cup final in May 2021, Balagizi enjoyed a fine debut season with the club's under-23s side last term as he became an important figure over the course of the club's Premier League 2 campaign.
His rapid rise was also complemented with fixtures on the continent as Liverpool made it to the last eight of the UEFA Youth League, beating Atletico Madrid, AC Milan, Porto and Genk, before tasting defeat to a formidable Juventus side in Turin.
And after encountering such career-shaping experiences during his two-year scholarship at Kirkby, Balagizi knew it was time to head out into the men's game and showcase his ability week in, week out.
"Moving on from last year and the progression I made with the under-23s, I thought now is the right time for me to take this step and see how well I can do and prove myself to everyone else," admits the midfielder.
"The first year was obviously really good and we were a close-knit squad, and then I had to make the jump in my second year to the under-23s. I feel like my two years [as a scholar] I’ve done quite well, to be able to make the jump from the under-18s to the under-23s quite quickly and now into men’s first-team football. I feel like I’ve done quite well, but there’s always more to go."
Speaking with such maturity, it's easy to forget Balagizi is only 18 years old. Having experienced so much in his career thus far, while also being forced to deal with persistent injury setbacks, his devotion to the game is infectious even through the powers of Zoom.
Now a very much adopted Liverpool fan, he has tried his best to leave the fan inside of him in the training room during the fledgling stages of his career, as he has hopes of one day becoming an influential member of the Reds' midfield.
Next week marks a year to the day since he was first included in a senior matchday squad by Jurgen Klopp, for the 3-0 victory over Norwich in the League Cup, after a period of training with the first-team up at the AXA Training Centre.
"I used to watch clips of Thiago," says Balagizi breaking into a momentary chuckle, almost in disbelief of the situation he finds himself in. "I used to watch him when he was at Bayern Munich but now to think I can see what he’s doing in real life, I can’t put it into words how good it is to learn up close.
" Virgil van Dijk is so hard to get past, his passing range is just ridiculous. Like his passes, how is he able to get them on the money every time?! Thiago and Fabinho too, you try to press them and they beat it with a drop of the shoulder or a turn. It’s incredible.
"I’m just a normal kid who loves football and now I’m here with all these world-class superstars, it's so unreal. But when you’re there you just have to compete the best you can. Of course, there’s still that element of idolisation, I’m a football fan as well as a footballer."
The teenager would once again get the call-up to the senior side, like many of his under-23s team-mates, as Liverpool welcomed Shrewsbury Town to Anfield in January. In the absence of Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah, close friends Max Woltman, Elijah Dixon-Bonner, Melkamu Frauendorf and James Norris would all be handed their senior Anfield debuts, but Balagizi would be forced to wait in the wings for a moment that never came.
"That day was so, so special," he recalls. "Even though I didn’t get on, it was everything I have been dreaming of since I was a little kid; I had always fantasised about being a footballer and it’s been such a persistent dream in my head. To be so close, but yet so far away, made me realise I’m on the right track. I just want to keep progressing and put all my effort into what I can be and hopefully I’ll end up in the right place.
"Not getting on against Shrewsbury, there was a fire in my belly that made me realise that I really want this, I really, really want this to be my life. I was eager to go away and play first-team football and that’s why I’m here. Those experiences are so good for me and I wouldn’t change it at all, I’m excited for what’s to come in the future as well."
While there are many within the Liverpool squad Balagizi takes inspiration from, it's close friend Jude Bellingham who becomes the topic of conversation during the closing stages of his chat with the ECHO. The midfielder is keen to emulate the success of the Borussia Dortmund prodigy, who he shared the field with at international level at England prior to the Birmingham-born star's meteoric rise.
"He’s so complete, it’s just crazy," says Balagizi, the morning after Bellingham's impressive goal against Manchester City. "He inspires others to go out and maximise our potential and he’s doing that on the biggest stage right now. He’s so inspiring to me because that’s where I want to be in the future as well.
"It just makes you think it’s possible, it's possible to achieve what you dreamed of as a kid. There are people that I know doing it, so why shouldn’t I be there doing it? If I can keep my head down and keep working hard every single day, hopefully, one day I’ll get my opportunity and go from there."
Crawley Town currently sit 20th in League Two after a slow start to the season, but following their unexpected win over Fulham last month they are now five games unbeaten in all competitions. For Balagizi, it's just the beginning of what he hopes will be the birth of a successful career in the game.
"Coming into the season I’ve had injury issues, so I thought coming into this campaign if I can just try and stay fit and get involved in as many games as possible; impacting games as well, not just being a passenger, that is my goal," he says. "I’ve hopefully managed to do a bit of that so far and my confidence just keeps going up from playing well, so I’ll be able to show everyone soon what I’m capable of. Hopefully, I'll just continue to be in a better position than the previous day.
"That’s always been the dream - to play for Liverpool - since I’ve joined, that’s always been the target. I’m really focused and dedicated and doing what I can do in my power to achieve all my goals. Hopefully, I can stay on the right track and things will happen for me."
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