Roberto Martinez insists his decision give Tyias Browning his debut in the Merseyside derby was not a gamble.
Martinez: “As a player he has been phenomenal in training. He is so powerful and so good in his defensive duties – in his one-v-ones,”
“I thought he coped with Sterling like very few players can cope one-v-one – and then going forward he had a real penetrating look about him.
“He’s got power and he gets to a ball he’s got no right to and a goal came from it.
“But I was impressed with the way he coped with the derby, with the first game he played for his side and that’s down to his mentality.
“It wasn’t a gamble from a footballing point of view, perhaps it was a gamble from a human point of view and I’m so glad he showed that kind of performance.”
Martinez also explained his decision to start Tony Hibbert at right back.
“We needed his (Hibbert’s) experience. Seamus Coleman we left until the last second and it was just the right opportunity for Tony to bring a bit of understanding and a bit of know how.
“Then, when he ran out of steam, Tyias Browning showed an incredible composure, great pace and gave us real penetration down that side.
“I thought Tony Hibbert and Tyias Browning did an incredible job for us.”