When Luis Diaz raced through on goal in added time at Molineux on Saturday, only Jose Sa’s fingertips kept the Colombian from capping off a brilliant second-half display in the West Midlands.
By then, Liverpool had overcome their most recent Premier League hardship, with Cody Gakpo, Andy Robertson, and Harvey Elliott all scoring to propel the Reds back to the top of the table, albeit momentarily, for the first time since May 2022.
Diaz was virtually handed the morning off in the Black Country as Liverpool lined up with Diogo Jota, Cody Gakpo, and Mohamed Salah in the attack as one of four South American players who only returned to Merseyside in the early hours of Thursday.
Arriving as a half-time substitution, the Colombian’s presence was well worth the wait, as he immediately brought a lift to a team that had lazily gone through the motions during an abysmal first-half performance.
Within 90 seconds of the restart, Diaz was nearly spinning away in joy after stealing a yard on Craig Dawson to head Robertson’s cross just wide of the near post. Apart from a couple of chances for Salah and Dominik Szoboszlai before the break, that was the closest Jurgen Klopp’s side had got to tying the game.
Minutes later, it was his creation of space in the middle of the pitch that led to Gakpo regaining parity in the West Midlands, as the Colobian’s ball trickled through to Jota, who subsequently found Salah on the right side of the box. In his final act before being replaced by Darwin Nunez, the Egyptian drilled his effort across the box for the Dutch to prod home.
In the absence of Trent Alexander-Arnold, Liverpool’s forward line was generally bereft of attacking service in the first half, with Joe Gomez attacking as Liverpool’s creator-in-chief, inverting into central areas when his side was in possession.
However, Liverpool benefited from Diaz’s perseverance in isolating full-back Nelson Semedo in wide areas with the goal of supplying Gakpo, Jota, and Salah, as well as Darwin Nunez shortly after. In doing so, Liverpool’s No.7 completed 77% of his passes in the attacking third and attempted three goals.
Diaz praised Klopp’s game earlier this week, saying he has improved since signing a £37 million deal at Anfield in January 2021.
“Working with Jurgen [Klopp] has greatly improved me,” Diaz stated. “He has improved my game.” He and the coaching team have done an incredible amount of work. They’ve helped me both tactically and physically, and it’s all about giving your all in every game.
“It’s all about getting better day by day.” However, if I had to choose one area to improve, it would most likely be my decision-making. I believe I am much better in this area, but there is always space for development. Also, I’d like to improve my tactical understanding.”
Diaz, now in his third season at Anfield, is certainly reaping the benefits of his manager’s efforts, and with goals against Chelsea and Bournemouth, as well as a superb cameo at Molineux, the Reds’ latest No.7 is set for a huge season.