‘Perfection’: Crouch lauds one thing he noticed from £90k-a-week ace in Liverpool win

Follow us on Google Discover

Peter Crouch praised Diogo Jota on BT Sport (03/11, 22:05) for the forward’s movement to score as Liverpool beat Atletico Madrid 2-0 in the Champions League on Wednesday night.

The Reds secured their spot in the last 16 with a comfortable win over Diego Simeone’s 10-man Colchoneros at Anfield. Jota and Sadio Mane scored as Jurgen Klopp’s side ensured they will finish top of Group B. And could have had more, but for a spate of spurned shots.

Jota met Trent Alexander-Arnold’s delivery on 13-minutes to break the deadlock with his fifth goal of the season so far. The England right-back whipping a perfect cross into the box, and was the playmaker again for Mane’s alert 21st-minute finish.

Jota put the ball in Jan Oblak’s net again for his second, but the 24-year-old was offside in the build-up. Yet the £90k-a-week forward’s movement and the timing of his run to score his first impressed former Reds striker Crouch.

Crouch broke down Jota’s goal and lauded his movement following Liverpool’s win at home to Atletico Madrid. Noting how he as a striker would have loved the space the Colchoneros defence afforded Jota in the box.

“From the moment Tret’s looking to play that ball, that’s when Jota’s on the move,” Crouch said. “When I used to be in the box, receiving [the ball], when I had this amount of space [between the centre-backs]. If Felipe’s not attached himself or feeling the centre-forward, or didn’t feel me, I always felt I had the run on him. And the moment Trent’s head goes down, is the moment Jota moves and he does it to perfection.”

Poacher Jota turns Liverpool marksman vs Atletico Madrid

Jota has often been a poacher for Liverpool since joining from Wolves, but showed his marksman credentials against Atletico Madrid. The £41m arrival in 2020 produced a wonderful header to beat Oblak, and also great movement, which Crouch praised.

But there is little surprise in Jota scoring a header for Liverpool, after his against Atletico Madrid. Per Sky Sports, only Christian Benteke, Edinson Cavani and Harry Kane (7) have more goals in all competitions through headers for Premier League clubs than Jota (6) since his Reds debut.