Benteke scored his fifth goal for the Reds in a 2-1 win over Bordeaux.
Former Liverpool midfielder Jan Molby has said in the Liverpool Echo that Christian Benteke’s display against Bordeaux on Thursday night was precisely the reason the Reds parted with so much money for the Belgian.
Benteke scored the winning goal in a 2-1 victory that secured the Reds’ passage to the knockout stages of the Europa League with a group game to spare, and he could have had more where it not for a questionable refereeing decision shortly after the restart.
As it stands, the big-money summer signing from Aston Villa now has five goals to his name in all competitions, having started just the nine games and been in and out of the starting XI – though he has also shown he can make an impact from the bench.
Molby wrote in his Liverpool Echo column: “He made the difference. In fact, if the game had been played a few weeks earlier when Benteke wasn’t available, then we simply wouldn’t have won.
“The Belgian was the key with his physicality and ability to frighten defenders.
“With the penalty, you can understand why the referee has given it although if it had been given against us, we’d not have been impressed.
“But that was down to Benteke being a menace in the danger zone. And his goal was precisely why Liverpool signed him, good control and a great finish.”
The Belgian has already proved what an effective option he is for the Reds, having come of the bench twice to score in Premier League games against Southampton and Chelsea this season – playing a key role in winning the latter of those fixtures, while demonstrating he can score different types of goals.
It also shows that Liverpool have a different option up front at times, especially when you contrast it to the Manchester City performance, which was predominantly won by men getting in and behind the back line. While Benteke can do that, he’s not bad at the physical battle that a centre forward sometimes has to endure.
Now Klopp will just wish that he had his other forwards fit in order to make full use of those options and hurt opponents in different ways.
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