“One of the most overrated and useless players ever”, “Absolutely terrible” – Fans slam Liverpool star despite 2-0 win against Everton
Liverpool fans slammed forward Diogo Jota for having a below-par performance during the Reds' 2-0 win against Everton in the Merseyside Derby at Anfield today (October 21).
The first half remained evenly contested, with Jurgen Klopp and Co. boasting most of the possession. Ashley Young was booked in the 18th minute for a poor foul on Luis Diaz. The Everton full-back was given a second yellow just 19 minutes later after a reckless slide tackle on Diaz, drastically changing the complexion of the game.
Despite being down to 10 men in the second half, the Toffees defended well, not giving Liverpool any space to operate within the opposition box. However, the Reds were given a penalty after Diaz' cross hit Micheal Keane's outstretched arm.
Mohamed Salah made no mistake from the spot in the 75th minute, sending Jordan Pickford the wrong way. Diogo Jota and Harvey Elliott had good chances to finish the game off but were denied by Pickford's heroics.
Jota had a great chance to set up Darwin Nunez in the 92nd minute but chose to go with it alone, hitting the side netting in the process. Fortunately, the Reds secured all three points five minutes later.
Nunez bounded forward from a counterattack, teeing up Salah, who made no mistake from close range to make it 2-0.
Liverpool fans have now criticized Diogo Jota for his performance. The Portugal international was given a start over Nunez but didn't have the best of outings, having a pass accuracy of 81%. He also lost seven duels, made zero accurate crosses, and had a shot accuracy of 50%.
One fan posted on X (formerly Twitter):
"Diogo Jota. One of the most overrated and useless players ever."
Another fan wrote:
"Jota been absolutely terrible first half need Nunez to come on at HT."
Here are some more reactions:
Jota has made a decent start to the season, scoring four goals in nine appearances to date. The Reds are currently top of the Premier League table with 20 points from nine games.
Liverpool vs Everton: Exploring the stats from the Merseyside Derby
Mohamed Salah scored a brilliant brace on his 150th appearance at Anfield across all competitions, guiding Liverpool to a 2-0 win against rivals Everton. Let's take a look at the stats to see how both teams performed.
Jurgen Klopp and Co. took advantage of having an extra man on the pitch, dominating possession with 78% of the ball. They also completed 728 passes with an accuracy of 87%. In contrast, Everton had 22% possession and registered 210 passes with an accuracy of just 52%.
Liverpool had a mammoth 26 shots in total, with six being on target. On the other hand, the Toffees failed to really threaten Alisson Becker, landing just six shots, with one being on target.