Smart, sharp, and scoring: Jota even better than Klopp hoped

SO IMPRESSIVE: Liverpool’s Diogo Jota celebrates scoring his side’s winning goal against West Ham at Anfield on Saturday. Jota scored his fourth Liverpool goal since his £41m arrival from Wolves. Picture: Peter Powell

One player who joined Liverpool in the transfer window and another whose expected exit didn’t materialise prompted a larger than usual smile from relieved Jurgen Klopp.

Diogo Jota’s £41m arrival from Wolves came out of the blue and raised a few eyebrows but nobody is questioning Klopp’s judgement after his fourth goal for the club — and third in the week — secured yet another win from a losing position.

And Klopp’s decision to hand a Premier League debut to rookie defender Nathaniel Phillips — who looked set to leave — paid off with the 23-year-old justifying his manager’s faith with a man-of-the-match nomination from former Anfield legend Jamie Carragher.

Jota’s form is such that he is even threatening to break up Liverpool’s much-vaunted front three of Roberto Firmino, Mo Salah, and Sadio Mane, with Firmino, the man he replaced on Saturday, looking the most under threat.

Jota’s four-goal tally is only one short of the five Firmino has managed since last Christmas. Although Firmino is more of a playmaker, Jota’s pace and ability to produce decisive goals is putting the Brazilian’s place under scrutiny. Klopp knew Jota was good but having seen him up close and personal over the last few weeks he admitted the Portugal international is actually better than he thought he was.

“We knew he was an exceptional talent,” said the Liverpool manager. “He has everything I love about a football player — speed, physicality, technique, he is two-footed, clear-minded and very football-smart. We love that.

“We talked, of course, before we signed him but you don’t have all the information about players you want to sign, so you don’t see how they react in different situations. You only see that when they are in your club and he is much better than I thought so that is really impressive.”

Jota had already had a goal disallowed for Mane’s foul on Lucasz Fabianski when he converted fellow sub Xherdan Shaqiri’s astute pass in the 85th minute to seal a hard-earned victory that equalled a club record of 63 home league matches unbeaten, set by Bob Paisley’s all-conquering team between 1978 and 1981.

Klopp was equally impressed by the performance of Phillips, who was wanted by a dozen Championship clubs plus a couple in Germany after an impressive loan spell with Stuttgart last season, only for none of them to match Liverpool’s valuation.

It’s the second ‘escape’ Liverpool have had with Phillips, 23, who was about to head off to take up a football scholarship at North Carolina University in the USA four years ago when they offered him a professional contract after he impressed in a trial at their Academy.

Klopp, a no-frills defender himself in his playing days, said: “We laugh about it. I was not really easy on the eye, he’s not easy on the eye, we are not Lionel Messi, but who cares? In the air he is a monster and he loves having challenges on the pitch. And he was incredible in his first league game.

“I’m pretty sure everyone can imagine how nervy that can be after a long wait and a crazy story. Four years ago he was on the way to America to study at a college then he came to our second team, trained with us and impressed us.

“Then at the beginning of the transfer window 12 Championship clubs wanted him so, for me, it was clear he would go and I was fine with that at that moment. But it didn’t work out for whatever reason and for us that’s good.”

Phillips is ineligible for the game against Atalanta tomorrow because Klopp was so convinced he would leave in the window and therefore didn’t include him in the Champions League squad Liverpool submitted to Uefa.

But the son of former Bolton defender Jimmy Phillips has put himself in firm contention to face Manchester City at the Etihad on Sunday, if Joel Matip remains on the sidelines alongside longer-term absentees Virgil Van Dijk and Fabinho.

While Phillips didn’t put a foot wrong, his partner Joe Gomez continued Liverpool’s defensive wobbles by heading a clearance straight to Pablo Fornals who accepted the gift to give West Ham a 10th minute lead.

It took a controversial penalty from Mo Salah, who was accused of diving by Hammers boss David Moyes, to bring Liverpool level just before the break. And they had to wait until the 85th minute for Jota’s winner as they continued to make hard work of their title defence.

They have already conceded 15 goals — more than Chelsea did in the entire 2004-05 season when they won the title under Jose Mourinho — and it was the third time already this season they have come from behind to win as well as their third odd-goal victory.

They may not be firing on all cylinders but Klopp says he expected that and is content that their collective desire and determination is getting them over the line in games.

“It is not about shining, or flying, or whatever, it is about hard work mixed up with good football because that was absolutely necessary against West Ham,” he added. “You need to be cheeky and tricky as well and we were in the decisive moments.

“It’s not necessary to be brilliant at the moment because I know it is not really possible but we have to dig in really deep and win games and collect the points and the boys did that.”

LIVERPOOL (4-3-3): Alisson 6; Alexander-Arnold 7, Gomez 6, Phillips 8, Robertson 7; Jones 5 (Shaqiri 70, 7), Henderson 7, Wijnaldum 7; Salah 7 (Milner 89), Firmino 5 (Jota, 70, 8), Mane 6.

Subs not used: Adrian, Minamino, R Williams, N Williams.

WEST HAM (5-4-1): Fabianski 6; Coufal 6, Balbeuna 6, Ogbonna 6, Cresswell 7, Masuaka 6 (Lanzini 88); Bowen 6 (Benrahma 89), Soucek 6, Rice 7, Fornals 7; Haller 4 (Yarmolenko 74, 4).

Subs not used: Randolph, Snodgrass, Diop, Fredericks.

Referee: Kevin Friend.