Liverpool draw at Forest showed Slot has one of the league's most underrated players in his ranks - opinion

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Liverpool managed to pick up a point in Tuesday’s trip to Nottingham Forest, this season’s surprise package in the Premier League.

Arne Slot’s Reds fell behind after just eight minutes when the in-form Chris Wood drilled a fine finish across Alisson Becker and into the far corner.

However, Liverpool equalised in the second half of the Premier League game at the City Ground thanks to another superb in-game management masterstroke by Slot.

Kostas Tsimikas and Diogo Jota came on and combined for an equaliser almost immediately, the former whipping in a corner for the latter to head home.

Liverpool had to settle for a 1-1 draw in the end as Forest’s back line defended especially well. So well, in fact, that some Reds fans urged the club to sign Murillo.

Although not all Liverpool players did particularly well on the night, one showed that he may very well be one of the most underrated players in the league.

Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images

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Liverpool star Diogo Jota one of the Premier League’s most underrated players

Jota may not be the most high-profile player at Liverpool, and he hasn’t been a regular starter all that often amid injuries, but he certainly delivers when called upon.

The Portugal international had only been on pitch for around 22 seconds before heading home – with his first touch – from Tsimikas’ corner.

And it’s not as though it was a one-off for Jota either. He has made quite a name for himself as a super-sub who often scores off the bench.

Jota has played 130 minutes of Premier League football across six games since returning from injury, and in that time he has scored three goals, two of which have salvaged a point for Liverpool.

Jota’s character and professionalism are also worth praising. He’s the kind of player who runs and gives his all for his teammates.

And while other players might be kicking up a fuss about not starting, Jota just gets on with it and does his best when called upon.

All in all, these traits are what make Jota one of the most underrated players in the Premier League.

What was said about Jota’s display against Forest

Liverpool.com named Jota as their ‘Winner’ of the night as they wrote: ‘Diogo Jota has been out injured for a long period of this season and has taken his time to come back into the team.

‘This was a big moment for him, though, coming off the bench to make an instant impact. He rose and headed home, poaching something from nothing just when Liverpool needed it.

‘That kind of killer instinct wins points, which win titles.”

They then gave him a rating of 7 out of 10, writing: His first touch broke the deadlock as he rose highest from a corner kick.

‘An immediate impact when Liverpool needed someone to pull something from nothing.’

Meanwhile, the Liverpool Echo gave Jota an 8 out of 10 rating and wrote: ‘Superb header to score with his first touch and denied another by excellent Sels save. Made a huge difference as striker.’

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