Diogo Jota announced himself on the international stage last night, in only his seventh appearance for Portugal as the latest addition to the Liverpool squad was directly involved in all three goals on Wednesday night as his side beat Sweden 3-0.
It came in the game after he scored the second in a 4-1 victory against Croatia last month.
Even without his nation's talisman Cristiano Ronaldo, he was clearly in the zone from kick-off. In the first minute of the match, he completed his first dribble of the night as part of a powerful run on the counter which saw him flash a shot just wide of the post.
The Liverpool new boy then created the opening goal by squaring for Bernardo Silva to have an easy finish.
Two minutes before half-time, Jota doubled the host’s advantage - and the goal will have caught the eye of Trent Alexander-Arnold. Manchester City and Portugal right-back Joao Cancelo delivered a delicious cross from a deep position – roughly level with the edge of the centre-circle – which went behind the Swedish defence and enabled Jota to score.
It was a cross delivered with the kind of pinpoint accuracy which has become Alexander-Arnold’s trademark in the last few years. Jota’s excellent runs and positioning in opposition penalty areas means this is a sight we could see happening when they are reunited in red.
After all, Sadio Mane is the joint-top recipient of assists from Trent across his Liverpool career, and Jota takes up very similar positions.
In the 72nd minute, Liverpool’s No.20 completed his hat-trick of goal contributions. Picking up the ball to the left of the penalty area, Jota dribbled past Pontus Jansson’s despairing tackle and fired the ball home.
It was his fourth and final successful take-on of the night, which was at least two more than every other player, and as many as the Swedish team completed in total. More pertinently from a Liverpool perspective, Jota’s movement and finish for the goal were positively Mane-esque.
While some people would attempt to argue international football is not at the standard of the Premier League, scoring twice and providing an assist is not something Jota has done in England’s top division.
It was an impressive night all round for the former Wolves man. He had six shots in total, matching his personal best for Nuno Espirito Santo’s side in league football. And as well as creating the opening goal, Jota later fashioned another chance for a teammate. It was for a fellow Premier League man once again, though Bruno Fernandes’ effort was saved by Robin Olsen.
With a total of eight direct shot involvements, Jota fell one shy of his record in the English top flight. He had five shots and set up a further four in a 1-1 draw at Arsenal last November. Nonetheless, his performance against Sweden was seriously impressive and undoubtedly one of the best of his career.
Jota will be under no illusions. It will be incredibly difficult for him to dislodge one of Liverpool’s established front three on a regular basis.
But with Mane’s fitness level somewhat unclear following his recent bout of coronavirus, Jota’s fabulous form means he could be in line for a start in the Merseyside derby on Saturday lunchtime. His efforts for Portugal in the Nations League mean he would be more than worth a spot in Jurgen Klopp’s derby day starting XI.
Even if he only starts on the bench this weekend, his recent exploits could prove a game changer if Jurgen Klopp feels he needs to make any changes to his side during the game.
