Chong quick to thank his Hatters team-mates for their part in his first ever Premier League goal

Town midfielder Tahith Chong was quick to praise his team-mates for the way in which he opened his Premier League account for the Hatters against Liverpool on Sunday evening.

The 23-year-old had started the game on the bench, brought on after an hour for recent addition Andros Townsend and was immediately involved in the action, almost turning home Alfie Doughty’s cross at the far post.

Then, with 10 minutes to go, the Reds swung in a corner of their own that saw Virgil van Dijk’s header hit Ross Barkley leading to shouts for a penalty.

The England midfielder played to the whistle though, outmuscling Kostas Tsimika on the edge of the area, and setting off a purposeful run through the middle.

With Issa Kabore and Chong steaming upfield for company, Barkley chose the right moment to release Town’s on-loan Manchester City wingback, who in turn delivered the perfect cross for the ex-Manchester United youngster.

Faced with one of the best goalkeepers in world football, Alisson Becker, Chong didn’t let the Brazilian’s reputation faze him, sliding in to score his first goal for the club and send Kenilworth Road into bedlam, not once but twice, with VAR confirming the strike would stand.

On what was going through his mind during the attack, Chong said: “I think I was asking for it for a couple of seconds.

"As soon as Issa got the ball, my hand went straight into the air, but you’re so much in the moment of thinking, let me hit it, I’ll do that first and then we’ll think about the rest.

"The goal wouldn't happen without Ross doing the turn and playing Issa in, and then Issa playing the perfect ball, but also the whole team.

"We defended the corner first, so I think the goal doesn't happen without the rest of the team really.

"Whether it’s Liverpool or not, you’re always happy to score a goal.”

Although he was only on the field from the hour mark onwards, Chong proved a really tricky customer for the Reds, fouled four times and showing the kind of trickery on the ball that saw Town splash out a then club record fee for his services in the summer.

Asked what instructions he had been given by boss Rob Edwards when entering the fray, the former Manchester United youngster continued: “He just said, try to come on and make an impact for the team and that is important for us going forward.

"Everyone on the bench is trying to come on and help the team as much as you can.

“You want to give the team some extra legs, work hard and try to create something.

"You never know if it’s always going to come, but if you put the work in, and eventually it will come.”

For Chong it was his fourth involvement from the bench this term, while he has also made five starts in Luton’s 11 top flight matches to date.

He knows whatever role he is asked to do, everyone in the match-day squad has a vital role to play when called upon.

He said “You’re always trying to help the team as much as you can, and I’m happy to be able to do it this week.

"For us it’s so important, all the players on the bench, maybe this week is my time, maybe next week it might be someone else.

"You can see at Forest it was Eli’s (Elijah Adebayo) goal, so for us it's super important that not just the 11 playing, even on the bench as well, we’re trying to come on and make an impact as it‘s going to be important going forward into the season.”

Although Chong’s goal didn’t turn out to be the match-winner, Luis Diaz equalising in stoppage time, the midfielder felt the Hatters could take real pride in getting a result against a side with ambitions of success both domestically and abroad this season.

He added: “It is a slight disappointment in terms of conceding last minute.

"Everyone in there is super proud of the team effort, not only the team effort, the fans and the staff, what we’ve been able to achieve on the pitch.

“The coaching staff has done a brilliant job throughout the week of putting a gameplan out there for us to go and execute.

"I thought we did it really well up until the end when we conceded, but for us it’s important to just keep working hard and keep improving game by game as we are doing.”