Sitting fairly on the high of the Premier League, alongside now formally being within the EFL Cup last after breezing previous Tottenham Hotspur at Anfield, Liverpool have been very a lot loving life beneath Arne Slot‘s knowledgeable steering.
That was till they arrived in Plymouth, in search of to make it into the fifth spherical of the FA Cup. Like most video games this time period, this could not have been an arduous job for the Reds however they have been on the top of one of many largest shocks within the competitors’s current historical past, shedding 1-0.
The ex-Feyenoord supervisor may properly really feel aggrieved by the lacklustre performances of some
attackers in current video games, notably towards Argyle. Mohamed Salah has been in pink scorching kind this time period, as too has Cody Gakpo however the likes of Darwin Nunez – who continues to fireside blanks – and Diogo Jota weren’t in a position to get their crew throughout the road on Sunday.
The numbers behind Liverpool’s assault this season
While Salah is means out in entrance as Liverpool’s high scorer this season with an unbelievable 26 strikes from 34 video games, different forwards at Slot’s disposal have not all the time been so scientific.
Certainly, the aforementioned Uruguayan remains to be struggling when given possibilities to impress, with a poor return of four strikes from 18 Premier League video games worrying these at Anfield.
He gained the decisive penalty within the EFL Cup to reward Liverpool a 2-0 lead over Spurs, however he nonetheless would not bury an opportunity even when Ange Postecoglou’s males have been all at sea, as three chances within the open contest went begging.
Liverpool’s high scorers in 2024/25 – All comps |
|
---|---|
Participant |
Aim tally |
1. Mo Salah |
26 |
2. Cody Gakpo |
16 |
3. Luis Diaz |
12 |
4. Diogo Jota |
8 |
5. Darwin Nunez |
6 |
6. Dominik Szoboszlai |
5 |
Stats by way of Transfermarkt. |
Jota is one other determine up high that has fallen sufferer to wasteful ending too, with the ex-Wolverhampton Wanderers ace solely managing a weak return of two goals from his final 5 Premier League encounters, away from an unmemorable cameo towards Spurs.
With some current transfer rumours even seeming to point that Jota may very well be off this approaching summer time, Liverpool should lament letting go of a sharpshooter once they did who has since blossomed right into a chic top-flight striker.
The previous Liverpool striker who’s now outscoring Jota & Nunez
Liverpool have been susceptible to a switch blunder previously with regards to strikers flopping, with the likes of Christian Benteke and Iago Aspas protruding from yesteryear, away from Nunez’s present woes.
Dominic Solanke arguably falls into this dud class, contemplating the Reds should have bought the younger ahead again in 2017 hopeful that the previous Chelsea teenager would instantly explode into life in his new environment as a uncooked and thrilling expertise.
Sadly for Solanke, the transfer simply would not work out for him, with a justification for his poor performances at Anfield coming from the very fact he had barely performed senior soccer by this stage of his fledging profession, away from a mortgage stint at Vitesse.
Liverpool did not possess the endurance on the time to stay with him, with the now three-time England senior worldwide solely managing to select up a dire one goal and one assist from 27 pitiful shows.
He did not let this setback utterly demoralise him, nevertheless, together with his subsequent transfer away from the Reds in AFC Bournemouth placing him on a path to stardom, which has led to him scoring luxurious strikes just like the one above frequently with Spurs.
On the Cherries, Solanke would undoubtedly discover the goalscoring groove that was missing all through his torrid time in a Liverpool shirt, with a bumper 77 strikes coming his means from 216 contests.
Solanke’s G/A file since leaving Liverpool |
|||
---|---|---|---|
Season |
Video games performed |
Objectives scored |
Assists |
24/25 |
29 |
11 |
6 |
23/24 |
42 |
21 |
4 |
22/23 |
35 |
7 |
7 |
21/22 |
50 |
30 |
7 |
20/21 |
45 |
15 |
9 |
19/20 |
36 |
4 |
1 |
18/19 |
10 |
0 |
1 |
Sourced by Transfermarkt |
Off the again of those goalscoring heroics on the South Coast, Postecoglou’s facet would cough up a weighty £65m to win the deadly 27-year-old’s services final summer time, with that spending spree now seen as a worthwhile splurge when glancing on the desk above.
Throughout his debut season in North London so far, Solanke is outscoring each Nunez and Jota with 11 strikes subsequent to his title from 29 video games, with this sterling output seeing him dwell as much as his earlier tag as a “monster” by soccer journalist George Periods.
Each Nunez and Jota can solely boast six targets and eight targets apiece, in distinction, as Liverpool are simply left to surprise now what may have occurred if they’d persevered with the 6 foot 2 striker as an alternative of prematurely ditching him.
![Cody Gakpo celebrates for Liverpool-1](https://static0.footballfancastimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/cody-gakpo-celebrates-for-liverpool-1.jpg)
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