Ian Doyle proclaimed that one Liverpool player looked like he was ‘back to his best’ in this afternoon’s 4-1 win over Sevilla.
Arne Slot will have been delighted by what he saw from his team in his first match at Anfield as the Reds’ head coach, with some majestic goals to witness for the home fans.
The victory was set in motion by Diogo Jota, who caught a sublime volley to fire us in front on the half-hour mark, and his overall performance came in for plenty of praise from one prominent journalist.
In his post-match player ratings for the Liverpool Echo, Doyle wrote of the 27-year-old: “Hustled and bustled as the central striker, taking his volleyed opener brilliantly then releasing Diaz for the second and involved in build-up for third. Back to his best.”
After an injury-hit 2024 so far for Jota, he’ll have been thrilled not just to get on the scoresheet today, but to do so with a typically ice-cold finish, while he also claimed a smart assist for Luis Diaz’s first goal of the afternoon as he released the Colombian with a perfect pickout.
In addition to those standout moments, the Reds’ number 20 misplaced only one pass all day (91% success rate), won two duels and played one key pass (Sofascore).
The Portugal forward’s finishing abilities are arguably the best of any LFC player, and if he can stay fit for the entirety of the 2024/25 season, it’s massively exciting to think of how many goals he could plunder between now and next May.
If Roberto Martinez was watching today, he’ll be banging his head off the wall in annoyance at why he barely called upon Jota during Portugal’s five games at Euro 2024. His loss could well be Liverpool’s massive gain over the coming months.