22 January 2024 , 01:00
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Jamie Carragher has lauded Liverpool star Diogo Jota, claiming that he's a better finisher than four club legends.
Jota, 27, scored twice as the Reds thrashed in-form Bournemouth 4-0 away from home on Sunday, taking them top of the Premier League once more. Alongside Darwin Nunez, who also bagged two goals, the Portuguese forward stepped up to the plate in the absence of talisman Mohamed Salah, who's been unavailable to Jurgen Klopp since the start of the Africa Cup of Nations.
Having had to be patient for opportunities due to a hamstring injury earlier this season, Jota's double on the south coast was perfect time for Carragher to dish out praise - and it was some praise at that. "I've played with some great Liverpool strikers like Michael Owen, Fernando Torres, Luis Suarez, Robbie Fowler… I think he's the best finisher out of them," the former Liverpool centre-back, himself an Anfield icon, declared after the game while on punditry duty for Sky Sports.
"Robbie maybe in terms of pure finishing, but this game was typical Jota. He's so clinical and he sums up Liverpool's recruitment over the last five or six years because sometimes there's great players out there that you have to go and buy, but he was in and out of the Wolves team and people were scratching their heads about it.
"But they saw him as a steal, and you see the goals he gets and he's not a mainstay of the team if everyone's fit to be honest, but finishing-wise, I think he's as good if not better than Torres, Suarez, even Salah and maybe the only one that can compete with him is Robbie Fowler in the early days of the Premier League."
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Diogo Jota has rediscovered his scoring form (Adrian DENNIS / AFP)Very few would expect Jota to finish his Anfield career with the same status as Torres, Suarez, Salah or Fowler, but there's no doubt that the former Wolves and Porto winger has been one of the most dangerous forwards in his Premier League era. After Jota scored in Liverpool's 2-0 win away to Burnley on Boxing Day, Klopp was asked what makes the 27-year-old so decisive.
"Hs football brain." the Reds boss responded. "He is a very smart footballer, that's how it is. He understands the game particularly well... It gives him a chance to see situations slightly earlier, to adapt to different things the opponent is doing a little bit quicker. That's it, on top of that he is both-footed and a great finisher."