'Sensational': Joe Cole names the Liverpool player causing all sorts of problems for Crystal Palace today
10/05/2024 07:15 AM
Liverpool started brilliantly against Crystal Palace in the Saturday lunchtime kick-off.
The Reds began the game on top of the Premier League table, with Palace struggling down in 18th.
Despite the disparity in the two team’s starts to the season, though, Selhurst Park is never an easy place to visit, let alone during an early kick-off.
Liverpool were stung against Palace at Anfield in April and know just what a difficult side they can be to get the better of.
Nevertheless, the Reds shook off those early concerns to go 1-0 up inside eight minutes, Diogo Jota slotting home after great work from Kostas Tsimikas and Cody Gakpo.
And with Liverpool looking comfortable, former Reds player Joe Cole praised what he’d seen from the goalscorer.
Joe Cole raves about Diogo Jota’s movement
Jota was left out of the Liverpool team during Wednesday’s win over Bologna.
Despite hitting a double against West Ham in the Carabao Cup the previous week, the Portuguese has not been in the best of goal-scoring form.
But after Darwin Nunez failed to grab his chance against Bologna, Arne Slot restored Jota to the starting XI in the Premier League.
The Liverpool head coach was rewarded for his decision just eight minutes in, his No.20 showing great determination to poke past Dean Henderson.
READ MORE: Liverpool fans fume over ‘criminal’ team decision from Arne Slot vs Crystal Palace
It was just rewards for Liverpool who had started well. And watching the game for TNT Sports, Cole said that Jota’s movement was causing problems for the whole Palace back line.
“Liverpool have been sensational,” raved the pundit. “Alexander-Arnold and Salah on the right side and Curtis Jones. When the defenders come out they’re running into those spaces, it’s where the goal came from.
“They’ve been fantastic at breaking it down, the movement, particularly Jota, he’s occupying all three of them.”
Diogo Jota answers Arne Slot demand
In the lead up to Saturday’s game, Slot had demanded more goals from his centre-forwards.
With Nunez and Jota scoring only four goals between them so far this season, the Dutch coach wanted more focus through the middle rather than on the wings.
And Slot could hardly have been given a more emphatic response from Jota on Saturday.
The goal was made out wide with Tsimikas and Gakpo, but without Jota’s determination it simply doesn’t happen.
The 27-year-old was second favourite to get on the end of Gakpo’s pass, but caught Trevoh Chalobah napping to prod the Reds in-front. Classic Jota.
