“He’s so shameless”, “Turns into Ian Rush” – Liverpool fans in awe of ‘exceptional’ display from 26-year-old star against Nottingham Forest
Liverpool fans have taken to Twitter to rave about Diogo Jota after the forward scored another brace today (April 22). The Reds defeated a spirited Nottingham Forest in a thrilling 3-2 clash at Anfield in the Premier League.
Jurgen Klopp's men knew they had to try and win all eight of their fixtures left in the Premier League for a chance to make it to the top four prior to today's game. They started the game well, dominating possession in the first half but couldn't break down Nottingham's defense.
Diogo Jota's return to form continued in the 47th minute when he turned Fabinho's header into an open goal. Former Liverpool right-back Neco Williams responded for the away side four minutes later but Jota scored his second to give the Reds the lead once again. He volleyed the ball past Keylor Navas from an Andrew Robertson free-kick.
Morgan Gibbs-White scored a brilliant goal to silence the Anfield faithful in the 67th minute. However, their celebrations were cut short three minutes later when Mohamed Salah scored the winner for the Reds from yet another set piece.
Despite having a nervy finish to the game, Liverpool dominated possession, having 82% of the ball compared to Nottingham's 18%. They also had more shots (18 to 11).
Jota's return to form will have boosted the confidence of the team and fans. The Portugal international has now scored two braces in a row, having scored two against Leeds United last week.
Liverpool fans were delighted with his performance and praised him on Twitter:
Jota hadn’t scored for a year then decided to score 4 this week, he’s so shameless 😭 https://t.co/Pfv8g4OwAN
Diogo Jota has equalled Antony’s full season g/a total in the last 2 games … 4 goals, 1 assist 🇵🇹 https://t.co/9VuGsWoWrK
Jota is a goal scorer. He suffered a big injury, which meant he hadn’t scored in almost a year. People doubting him confused me.
Give Jota a new contract. That man doesn’t deserve to leave this club without winning at least 2 major titles. I don’t care if he’s injury prone
When Jota gets in the box, he’s exceptional.
Keep him there and play him through the middle. Don’t have him hug the touchline and try and do things he’s not good at. He’s a poacher.
Jota waits a year to score and turns into Ian Rush
Jota is currently having more goals than Chelsea this month. 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 https://t.co/6reWFuxCcM
Remember when people said they'd sell Jota?
Bet they're very quiet after the last two masterclasses. https://t.co/4YELaNEZGe
The win took the Reds up to seventh in the Premier League table with 50 points. They are currently six points off fourth-placed Newcastle United, who have a game in hand.
Liverpool forward Diogo Jota gives his verdict as Reds defeat Nottingham Forest
Diogo Jota gave his thoughts on the team's performance as the Reds defeated Nottingham Forest in a thrilling encounter at Anfield. The Portuguese scored a brilliant brace and was integral in keeping the home side's Champions League aspirations for next season alive.
He spoke to the media and said (via Premier League):
"It was really important to win today to folow up the last one. It was a difficult game like we expected, we created chances even in the first half, but we had to wait for the goal. Set-pieces are very important, it was a set-piece game as they scored from them as well. We need to improve defensively but offensively in that area, we were almost perfect"
The Reds have now won two Premier League games in a row and will be hoping to continue their form into their next fixture. They next face West Ham United away on April 26.