All the headlines will be about Darwin Nunez today. It was the Uruguayan after all who scored yet another decisive goal for Liverpool. His brilliant header was exactly what Liverpool needed in the dying embers of the game.
Nunez is a special player. He will always grab headlines, and most of the attention. His ability to win games is unparalleled.
But today’s victory wasn’t just about him. Even the goal itself, while being a great finish, was all about the delivery of Alexis Mac Allister. The Argentine put in a sublime ball pretty much inch perfect for Nunez and made it very easy for the Liverpool number nine to put the ball into the back of the net. It was the kind of pass that will go unnoticed because of everything else that happened in the aftermath of the goal, but it’s so underrated.
Mac Allister in general was one of the best players on the pitch, and this was without a shadow of a doubt one of his best performances in a Liverpool shirt. I’d go as far as to say that it was the best.
Alexis Mac Allister was sensational today
Even aside from his assist, Mac Allister was everywhere on the pitch. Once again, playing a little bit further forward, he was instrumental in creating opportunities for Liverpool.
In total Mac Allister created five chances – which was the most by anyone on the pitch. He also had 87 touches in the game, which just highlights how active he was. As a midfielder, making eight passes into the final third is pretty impressive as well. That’s the kind of numbers you expect a defender to make, who tend to play deeper.
The 25-year-old simply dominated in possession, and without him it is moot that Liverpool would have won the game. In my opinion, this was Mac Allister’s best performance in a Liverpool shirt yet.
It’s no coincidence that it happened while he was playing a little bit further forward. Since he’s been moved further up the pitch, he has four goal contributions in his last three Premier League games. And he’s really starting to show just what a gem Liverpool signed last summer.