Juergen Klopp praised new signing Luis Diaz after the Colombian impressed on his Premier League debut in Liverpool’s 2-0 win over Leicester City on Thursday, with the Reds coach claiming the dazzling winger already looks at home in Merseyside.
Diaz joined Liverpool on last week’s January deadline day from Portuguese side Porto, and made his debut off the bench in the weekend FA Cup win over Cardiff City.
Klopp was sufficiently impressed to give Diaz a start against Leicester, with the 25-year-old causing all kinds of problems, as he looks like a real asset for Liverpool already.
“When we saw him playing for Porto, we thought yes, that’s exactly what we want him to do as well,” Klopp said. “On top of that, he seems to be a really smart footballer and has obviously watched Liverpool quite a lot.
“We don’t overload new players with too much information in the first week and tell them everything what we want them to do.
“We just have a look and when we looked at him in training, he already looked like a Liverpool player.”
A goal in each half from Diogo Jota was enough for Liverpool to get the better of Leicester, with the victory helping Klopp’s side close the gap with leaders Manchester City to nine points.
“I’m not sure we are in a position to get them (City) on their toes to be honest,” Klopp added. “But it’s not important at the moment. I don’t think we have much chance to catch them.
“Would that mean we shall not try to have the best possible season? First and foremost, we have to win our football games and this football club is massive.
“It was really important for us tonight (Thursday) to win because there’s not only Man City to catch, there are a lot of teams behind us who want to get closer.”
Arsenal bag three
Arsenal claimed a first win in six matches in all competitions with defender Gabriel scoring the only goal in the 1-0 victory at Wolverhampton Wanderers. The Brazilian tapped in from close range in the 25th minute to decide a largely forgettable contest that Arsenal ended with 10 men after Gabriel Martinelli was bizarrely sent off with 20 minutes remaining for two offences in a matter of seconds.
Wolves struggled to create clear chances and the closest they came to an equaliser was when substitute Chiquinho’s effort was cleared off the line. Daniel Podence was denied by a fine save by Arsenal keeper Aaron Ramsdale but it was a disappointing night for Wolves who had been seeking a fourth successive league win.
The victory lifted Arsenal into fifth place with 39 points from 22 games while Wolves remain in eighth position.
The biggest talking point of the night was Martinelli’s red card, Arsenal’s fourth in 2022. The Brazilian forward first shoved Podence as the Wolves player tried to take a quick throw-in, then chased down Chiquinho and fouled him too.
Referee Michael Oliver then produced a yellow card, then another, for the two fouls, as Martinelli looked on in disbelief.
