Arsenal vs Liverpool: We have a lot of games and everybody will be important, says Diogo Jota

Liverpool are in the form of their life and are flying high in domestic and European competitions, making it difficult for opposing teams to stop them. Their latest victim is Arsenal, who were beaten in a handsome fashion on Wednesday night. Goals from Diogo Jota and Roberto Firmino at the beginning of the second half proved enough for the visitors to travel back to Merseyside with all three points. Notably, it was a ninth successive win in top-flight action for Liverpool. The three points have greater significance for Jurgen Klopp’s side, as they are now only one point behind table toppers Manchester City. The race for the Premier League title is well and truly on.

Asked whether Jota knew he was about to come off before he scored, the Portuguese forward told Liverpoolfc.com, “Well, to be honest, I saw Mo and Bobby on the sidelines. I didn’t know if it was me [who would be coming off] but I could expect something like that to happen. But if you want to finish the game there’s nothing better than to score a goal.”

Jota then opened up about his goal and the beautiful assist provided by Spanish midfielder Thiago Alcantara. “You know when you have players like Thiago in the midfield, if you are in the right space you know he can see you and put the ball there. It was the first time I really had space in the game in their defensive line and I took advantage of it, and it was massive for us at this moment,” he added.

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You need to be patient: Jota

On always being ready for an important pass in a tight game, Jota said, “Yes, especially [in the] Premier League. When teams are really on it like they were in the first half, reducing all the space with two or three players around, you need to be patient and wait for the moment they will give you an extra yard of space. I was lucky enough to find the back of the net with the first chance that I had.”

Liverpool have a frightening bunch of frontline players. It is led by in-form Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane, Roberto Firmino and Diogo Jota. Speaking about being a part of Liverpool’s mesmerizing group of forwards, Jota added, “It’s massive and it allows us to rotate a little bit more and have that extra energy that we need, because we play [every] three days. We are in all competitions, we have a lot of games and everybody will be important. So, it’s exciting days.”

It was not all about their attacking play, Liverpool have been equally solid defensively. They have defended admirably during the nine-game winning league run. Reflecting on it, Jota said, “Yes, and another clean sheet today. It’s not easy to come here [to Arsenal] and have a clean sheet. Everyone worked hard for that, not just the defensive line but credit for them and for Ali again, who made a couple of important saves. We are together as a group, we have now one more game before the [international] break and then we are back with everything.”