Brad Smith fulfilled a childhood dream at the end of a difficult year by making his first appearance for Liverpool against Chelsea on Sunday evening.

The 19-year-old, who was born in Penrith in Australia, took to the turf to replace Joe Allen in the 58th minute at Stamford Bridge.

It was the ideal way to round off a challenging 12 months for the youngster, who sustained a horrific injury while playing for the U21s against Southampton in January.

He returned in style for the Academy outift against Tottenham Hotspur in October, expertly curling home Liverpool's fourth in a 5-0 demolition.

A succession of impressive displays for Alex Inglethorpe's side earned Smith a call-up to the substitutes' bench for the defeat against Manchester City on Boxing Day.

Then, on Sunday, with Liverpool trailing 2-1 at Chelsea, Rodgers demonstrated ultimate faith in the youngster - and Smith reflected on the moment with pride.

"It was a dream come true," he told Liverpoolfc.com. "I've been working on this for years. It was my dream to try and fulfil this and I'm absolutely delighted to make my debut. It was just a shame about the result.

"The manager told me to warm up and so I ran down the line to get ready but I didn't think I was going to come on. But when he told me to get ready, it was a dream come true.

"It was so hard to get back from such a horrific injury - and I'm so proud that I've made my debut."

Smith was spotted by Liverpool's scouts while playing for the same high school as fellow Academy graduate Jack Robinson and combines solid defending with exciting forays forward.

He got a first taste of life in the senior side when he joined a host of youngsters for the club's pre-season tour of North America in the summer of 2012.

Having achieved his aim of playing a first-team match for the Reds, Smith now intends to earn more playing time under the guidance of Rodgers.

"The manager just told me to stay wide and stay high," said Smith. "It was what I expected - it was really difficult with such good players.

"So hopefully it's onto the next one. Hopefully I can impress and keep going and get in the team again."