Key Takeaways: Liverpool v West Ham
By Taylor Smith
Jota Proving a Liverpool Bargain
Diogo Jota made it three goals in seven days to continue his terrific form in front of goal. His transfer likely came as a surprise to most Liverpool supporters, but he’s proving that Michael Edwards and the backroom transfer gurus at Liverpool have delivered another masterstroke.
Perhaps Jota’s greatest strength lies in his natural ability to find space and use his close control in and around defenders, and this was on display almost immediately after he came on for Firmino at the 70-minute mark.
He really takes up such wonderful positions as indicated by the fact that almost all of his 5 goals for the Reds so far have been one-on-one with the keeper or a tap in at the far post. The man knows how to find the space that hurts opponents.
After having a goal denied by VAR for a foul in the buildup by Sadio Mane, his composed finish past Fabianski following Xherdan Shaqiri’s sumptuous threaded pass secured all three points for Klopp’s men in red.
Nathaniel Phillips Delivers on his Debut
A Premier League debut for Nathaniel Phillips answered the question that Liverpool fans had been asking since Fabinho pulled up with a hamstring tweak in their Champions League fixture Tuesday—who is going to start alongside Joe Gomez in defense?
While Rhys Williams had a good game against FC Midtjylland, the debut for Phillips made sense. He’s good in the air and composed on the ball. At 23-years-old he offers more experience than Rhys Williams, who at 19-years-old, still lacks solid first-team experience.
Phillips didn’t hurt his chances to continue pairing with Gomez for the foreseeable future with an aggressive yet composed display. It seemed clear that Sebastian Haller was told before the match to pressurize Phillips in the hopes that West Ham might capitalize on a mistake. Phillips, however, bullied Haller until he was hauled off, and readily responded to every question asked of him by West Ham.
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Gomez, on the hand, was responsible for the bad clearance that led to Pablo Fornals’ tidy finish, which simply goes to show what a good display this was for a debut. Nat Phillips probably didn’t start the season thinking his game time would come in the Liverpool starting XI, but his performance today might result in just that.