Jurgen Klopp paid tribute to “exceptional” Diogo Jota and expressed his delight that the Liverpool forward is finally back to full fitness.
It has been a nightmare campaign for Jota who missed most of pre-season after aggravating a hamstring problem in mid-July on the club's tour of Thailand, which stopped him playing again until the start of September.
He then sustained a serious calf injury during Liverpool's 1-0 Premier League win over Manchester City at Anfield in October, which also ruled him out of Portugal's World Cup campaign in Qatar.
The 26-year-old returned for Jurgen Klopp's side in February but it was not until the 6-1 thrashing of Leeds United that Jota was back among the goals – scoring twice at Elland Road, ending a Liverpool drought that had lasted more than 12 months.
He then followed that up with another brace in the 3-2 win over Nottingham Forest at the weekend and manager Klopp believes the player has finally recovered from his injury woes.
“He just got back up to speed,” the German coach said, ahead of Liverpool's match at West Ham United on Wednesday. “He is an exceptional player.
Liverpool 3 Nottingham Forest 2: Player ratings
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LIVERPOOL RATINGS: Alisson – 6. Denied Gibbs-White with a brilliant stop in the 49th minute. Couldn’t have done anything to keep either of the Forest goals out. AP Photo -
Trent Alexander-Arnold – 7. Provided an excellent delivery from a set piece for Van Dijk to test Navas in the 26th minute. Put in another decent delivery for Jota to head wide soon after. Grabbed the assist for Salah's goal with a precise delivery into the Forest penalty area. AFP -
Ibrahima Konate – 5. Almost notched his fourth goal for the Reds with a header that just flashed wide in the eighth minute. Caught ball-watching as Johnson got on the wrong side of him and almost scored Nottingham Forest’s third late on. AFP -
Virgil Van Dijk – 5. Had a shaky start with a number of misplaced passes. Almost put the Reds ahead with a header that was tipped over by Navas in the 26th minute. Beaten in the air far too easily by Felipe in the build-up to Forest’s second goal. PA -
Andy Robertson – 7. Unlucky to unintentionally deflect Williams’ effort past Alisson after the break. Set up Jota a few minutes later with a well-weighted cross into the penalty area to restore Liverpool’s lead. AP Photo -
Fabinho – 7. Was in the right place at the right time to halt a Forest counterattack in the 21st minute. Set up Jota for Liverpool’s opener with a header back into the danger area. PA -
Jordan Henderson - 6. Denied by a Joe Worrall block in the 64th minute. Failed to close down Gibbs-White quickly enough for his goal three minutes later. AFP -
Curtis Jones – 6. A quiet game in the middle of the pitch for Liverpool’s homegrown youngster. He kept things simple and helped the Reds build attacks from deep alongside Fabinho. Getty Images -
Mohamed Salah – 7. Had a quiet game until he popped up behind Freuler to get on the end of an Alexander-Arnold set piece and score Liverpool’s third. Denied a second goal by a Navas save in the 76th minute. EPA -
Diogo Jota – 9. Should have scored when he headed Alexander-Arnold's cross wide from just two yards out in the 38th minute. Made amends for his earlier miss but putting the Reds ahead from close range with a simple header after the break. Scored his second with a beautiful volley into the bottom corner in the 55th minute. Reuters -
Cody Gakpo – 6. Saw an improvised effort cleared off the line by Williams in the 31st minute. Dropped deep in search of the ball in the second half which gave Jota room to do the damage in the number 9 position. AP Photo -
SUBS: Darwin Nunez (Gakpo, 59’) – 6. Helped relieve pressure by drawing a foul from Williams in 87th minute. Should have done better with his header when Robertson’s cross found him in the penalty area a minute later. Reuters -
Thiago Alcantara (Fabinho, 59’) – 6. Brought on to help the Reds regain control of proceedings, Thiago worked hard and was impressive in possession but he lacked the physical presence to halt Forest’s counterattacks. Reuters -
James Milner (Jones, 81) - N/A. Came on and provided support for the struggling Alexander-Arnold at right-back. Getty Images -
Liuz Diaz (Jota, 81’) - N/A. Worked hard after coming on but didn't have a chance to test Navas. Reuters -
NOTTINGHAM FOREST RATINGS: Keylor Navas – 6. Displayed excellent reflexes to tip Van Dijk’s header over the crossbar in the 26th minute. Came up with another good save to deny Jota a hat-trick in the second half. EPA -
Felipe – 7. Made a good block to stop a Salah pass from finding Gakpo in the 43rd minute. Gave Jota too much space and time on the ball to control, juggle the ball and hit it past Navas after the break. Assisted Gibbs-White's goal with a simple header in the danger area. EPA -
Moussa Niakhate – 6. Made a last-ditch challenge to deny Gakpo an attempt at goal in the first half. His long throws in the penalty area caused problems for Liverpool all day. AP Photo -
Scott McKenna – 6. Made a brilliant start to the game but had to go off in the 28th minute due to an injury. AP Photo -
Neco Williams – 7. Denied Gakpo a certain goal by making a goalline clearance in the 31st minute. Drew Forest level against his former employers with a deflected effort after the break. AP Photo -
Remo Freuler – 5. Allowed Salah to easily get on the wrong side of him to score Liverpool’s third goal in the 70th minute. Failed to provide any sort of impact in attack. AP Photo -
Orel Mangala – 6. Tracked back effectively to deny Fabinho space on the edge of the penalty area in the 18th minute. Forced Alisson into a routine save with a weak header late on. EPA -
Renan Lodi - 6. Had an impressive first half during which he Kept Salah quiet. Could have done better with his reaction to Fabinho's header en route to Jota’s first goal. AFP -
Morgan Gibbs-White – 8. Had Nottingham Forest’s first shot on target with an effort that went straight into the arms of Alisson in the 17th minute. Almost drew Forest level with a volley that Alisson managed to punch wide after the break. Assisted Forest’s opener by laying off the ball for Williams to hammer home. Drew Forest level for the second time with a volley in the 67th minute. Getty Images -
Danilo – 5. Deployed in a more advanced role just behind Awoniyi, Danilo failed to make much of an attacking impact but dropped off well to help out in midfield. Reuters -
Taiwo Awoniyi – 7. Put in a good defensive header to clear the lines in the seventh minute. Began the move that led to Forest opener by laying the ball off to Gibbs-White. His impressive hold-up play was crucial to bringing his teammates into the game, and also helping to relieve pressure. AFP -
SUBS: Joe Worrall (McKenna, 30’) – 6. Lost Fabinho for his header en route to the Reds‘ opener. Did well to quickly change his stance and set up Johnson for a shot with an improvised header in the second minute of injury time. Reuters -
Brennan Johnson (Freuler, 76’) - N/A. Thought he’d scored when he lifted the ball past the onrushing Alisson in the 79th minute but his effort came back off the crossbar. Could only hit another effort high when Worrall's flick found him in the penalty area in the closing stages. PA -
Andre Ayew (Awoniyi, 87') - N/A .Struggled to get into the game. Getty Images -
Emmanuel Dennis (Felipe, 87) - N/A. Came on too late to make an impact. Reuters
“Since Diogo joined us he did exceptional stuff for us. He's super smart, can play a lot of different positions, he has super interesting skills for an offensive player.
“He's not the tallest but an extreme threat in the air, his timing is top, he can finish with both feet, which is extremely helpful, and has the speed.
“Diogo this season had a really bad injury, that kept him back, nothing else. If he stays fit he is an outstanding player.
“When you are injured you need rhythm. It is an continuing season and nobody waits for you – that is the most difficult thing.
“Now it's really cool he could score these goals because all of them were, for us, super important.”
Jota himself said the team should take heart from recording back-to-back victories that have lifted the Merseyside club up to seventh in the Premier League table – a point behind Aston Villa with a game in hand, but still nine behind Manchester United in fourth.
Leeds 1 Liverpool 6: Player ratings
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LEEDS UNITED PLAYER RATINGS: Illan Meslier – 2. A forgettable night for Meslier who picked the ball out of the net on six occasions, though much was down to a shocking defensive display. Reuters -
Junior Firpo – 2. Firpo’s mistake was the crucial one as he failed to clear his lines with any conviction, allowing Alexander-Arnold to assist the opener. Struggled to cope with Salah, whom he left wide open in the second half when scoring his brace. PA -
Pascal Struijk – 2. Looked to give up on tracking Salah for Liverpool’s second and lacked communication with Firpo on his side. PA -
Robin Koch – 3. Started brightly by marking Gakpo tightly, but in the end was part of a torrid defensive display. Beaten too easily by Robertson on Salah’s brace. Reuters -
Rasmus Kristensen – 3. Kept Jota quiet early on but eventually lost track of him. Played Nunez onside for Liverpool’s sixth goal of the game. Reuters -
Marc Roca – 4. Seemed to get unnecessarily dragged out to wide areas where he delivered crosses that were easily dealt with. Reuters -
Weston McKennie – 4. Sloppy in possession and provided little assurance after the opening goal. Had to do more to block off the areas around the penalty area, as seen with Jota’s unchallenged volley. AFP -
Luis Sinisterra – 6. Looked to make things happen when on the ball and got his reward when tackling Konate in his own half before an excellent finish. Worryingly for Leeds fans, Sinisterra was later forced off with an injury. Getty -
Brenden Aaronson – 5. Unlucky with an effort before the hour mark that was inches from finding the top corner, and always tried to get Leeds going in the right direction. Reuters -
Jack Harrison – 4. Struggled to create anything meaningful with play that saw attacks break down when the ball got to him. Must be much more accurate with his passing. Reuters -
Rodrigo – 4. Had a half-chance from a set piece but lacked conviction with his header. Anonymous in the second half. Reuters -
SUBS: Crysencio Summerville (Rodrigo 66’) – 5. Scored the decisive goal in the previous fixture at Anfield, but there was no chance of heroics this time around. Always looked to play progressively despite having a lack of options at times. AP -
Georginio Rutter (Aaronsen 66’) – 5. Rarely found himself in possession after being introduced for Aaronsen in the 66th minute. AFP -
Wilfried Gnonto (Harrison 77’) – N/A. Did nothing when introduced as Liverpool continued to control the game. Reuters -
Adam Forshaw (Sinisterra 77’) – N/A. Introduced in the 77th minute after Sinisterra went down after appearing to tweak something. PA -
LIVERPOOL PLAYER RATINGS: Alisson – 6. Commanded his area to claim the ball and positioned well to save from Rodrigo. Lost his cleansheet after a poor error from Konate allowed Sinisterra to chip past him. Getty -
Andrew Robertson – 6. Pressed well and didn’t get beaten on his side, though his best moment of the match was his involvement for Salah’s brace when he breezed past Koch with an impressive first touch. Reuters -
Virgil van Dijk – 7. Anticipated the danger instantly to track balls coming in behind and looked comfortable when winning his duels. AP -
Ibrahima Konate – 5. - Impressive outside of one moment of madness that saw him too slow to react, failing to clear the danger amid pressure from Sinisterra. AFP -
Trent Alexander-Arnold – 7. Got Liverpool off and running after winning back possession before assisting the opener. Regularly found space in midfield to help transition the ball forward. AP -
Fabinho – 6. Alert to developing situations and blocked off the central areas of the pitch well. Kept things simple with his passing. Reuters -
Curtis Jones – 7. A third Premier League start in a row for Jones who capped it off with a superb pass to Jota for Liverpool’s third. A solid display from midfield where he took good care of the ball. PA -
Jordan Henderson – 7. Slow to get going but benefitted when spaces began to open. Worked hard to win the midfield battle and keep Liverpool on the front foot. Reuters -
Diogo Jota – 8. A wasteful 30 minutes from Jota saw him not wake up until late on in the first half, winning back possession before putting the ball perfectly on Salah’s left-foot to finish with class. Then helped himself to two goals in the second half. Getty -
Cody Gakpo – 8. Showing signs of progress in the false nine role, where he linked play elegantly on the front line. Rarely gave away possession and was patient with his decision-making. Opened the scoring and picked up an assist after finding Salah for his brace. Getty -
Mohamed Salah – 8. The Egypt international was in clinical form at Elland Road, with two finishes that came from the top drawer. That is the sort of lethality that the Reds need him to show if they are to make the top four. EPA -
SUBS: James Milner (Henderson 81’) – N/A. Back at the club where he made his professional debut. PA -
Darwin Nunez (Gakpo 81’) – 7. Put the icing on the cake with a well-timed run and finish past Meslier. EPA -
Luis Diaz (Gakpo 81’) – N/A. Back after a long time out through injury, and much appreciated by the Liverpool fans in the away end. EPA -
Roberto Firmino (Jota 82’) – N/A. Came on for Jota in the 82nd minute. EPA -
Thiago Alcantara (Fabinho 85’) – N/A. More beneficial minutes for Thiago who has just returned from injury. Getty
“It gives confidence to the team,” said Jota. “We believe in what we are doing and against Arsenal [that finished in a 2-2 draw] the win was there for us in the end but unfortunately we could not take it.
“But it’s two in a row already and this is the only way we can fight to be in the highest position in the table.”
Klopp, though, played down the victories insisting the team still has plenty to improve on after what has been a tough campaign for the Anfield club.
“Nothing,” the former Borussia Dortmund coach said when asked what Liverpool had shown with their last two results. “You could say the same about West Ham, they've found their feet as well so let's see about that.
“We have to still prove ourselves. We cannot talk about consistency when you win two games, especially when you win the second one like we did [against Forest] where the defending was not perfect to say the least.
“We have to keep it going. There were a lot of things to like in the last two, two and a half games and that's what we have to continue. We have to make sure it's not too difficult for people to watch us, that they like it again.”
