Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher believes he could have ended a chance that Diogo Jota missed during the team’s win over Newcastle United on Saturday February 18.
The Reds secured their second successive Premier League victory with a 2-0 win at St. James’ Park. Darwin Núñez and Cody Gakpo scored in the first 17 minutes and the Magpies were reduced to 10 men in the 22nd minute. Nick Pope was sent off after touching the ball outside the box.
A beautiful play by the Reds, finished off by Cody Gakpo 😍 https://t.co/hT349DKLEy
Jota, meanwhile, came on as a 59th-minute substitute for Gakpo, but had a night to forget. He won just two of his seven games, lost possession four times and missed two big chances.
One particular opportunity came in the 88th minute when Jota had a free header but failed to score. Speaking about the glitch, former Liverpool defender Carragher told Sky Sports:
“That’s one of those where I can say, ‘I could have scored that.'”
Regardless of his lack of match sharpness, the Reds are likely happy to have Jota back after a lengthy injury. The Portuguese striker missed much of the season with a calf injury and returned to action in a 2-0 win over Everton on 13 February.
Since joining Liverpool from Wolverhampton Wanderers in 2020, Jota has scored 34 goals and provided 14 assists in 95 games. Saturday’s game was only the tenth appearance for him in all competitions in the current season.
Jurgen Klopp hails Liverpool’s ‘massive’ win
With the win over Newcastle, the Merseysiders are now just six points out of fourth in the Premier League table with one game to go.
Speaking after the match, manager Jurgen Klopp stressed the importance of the win, saying (via Liverpoolfc.com):
“Massive. Massive, massive, massive. I don’t think we’re in a position now where we can have a big mouth and say, ‘We’re here and we’re gone again.’ It is obvious that we are in a better place than a couple of weeks ago, but there is still room for improvement and we have to show consistency…”
added:
“When you’re in the position we’re in, there’s no alternative to consistency to get ahead. And results-wise, that was definitely good for consistency. And performance-wise, there were a lot of good things and areas where that we could improve.”
Liverpool host Real Madrid in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League round of 16 on 21 February.
Paul Merson Predicts Newcastle vs Liverpool Result & Other PL GW 24 Matches! Click here