Making his first start since December 2023 – which also happened to come on Merseyside but against Liverpool’s city rivals Everton – James donned the captain’s armband to proudly lead out his side at Anfield on Sunday afternoon.

This match meant more to Reece. After choosing to have surgery following his hamstring injury at Goodison Park last year, the full-back worked day and night to get back to full strength. Being back out on the pitch, leading his side is what he has been striving towards.

It wasn’t easy with plenty of ups and downs, including suffering a setback on our pre-season tour in the summer, but now Reece is taking it one step at a time, describing his return as a ‘big step’.

‘It was great to be involved again,’ the 24-year-old opened. ‘I missed playing in big games and playing against big players so it was a big step.

‘It’s been a long time since I started a game, and starting here [Anfield] was always going to be tough, but I’m feeling good.

‘The road to recovery has been tough – it definitely hasn’t been easy. I hope to stay strong, keep going, and help the team achieve what we want to achieve.’

Focusing on the Blues, Reece was disappointed not to take anything from the game but felt there were positives to take from a determined performance.

‘Coming here is never going to be easy but I felt that we controlled most of the game,’ he continued.

‘We had the first few chances but they have some incredible individual players so it was always going to be tough.

‘I think the performance was a good performance and I don’t think the scoreline reflects how well we played at Anfield. Goals make the difference.’

The future is now the captain’s focus with a trip to Greece and a match against Newcastle to come during a busy week across domestic and European fronts. Reece believes that the Blues are on the right path with Enzo Maresca and feels there are plenty of positives to take from our display against the Reds.

He added: ‘We walk away empty-handed but we performed well in spells, so we just need to refresh now. We have another game during the week and then we go again in the Premier League at the weekend.

‘I think if you step back and look at performances over the season, you can really see what we’re trying to do. It’s still early days though and we’re progressing.’