Arne Slot agrees with Jurgen Klopp about Liverpool star after Fulham fightback - The Mirror

On the back of Liverpool’s disappointing 2-2 home draw against Fulham, Arne Slot has singled out one man for praise - a favourite of former Reds boss Jurgen Klopp

Liverpool boss Arne Slot has heaped praise on the ‘intelligent’ Diogo Jota after his goal rescued a point at home to Fulham on Saturday.

The Reds quickly found themselves on the back foot at Anfield, with Andreas Pereira's early strike giving the visitors a shock lead and Andrew Robertson’s 17-minute red adding a man disadvantage to Slot’s list of woes.

A deft Rodrigo Muniz finish then cancelled out Cody Gakpo’s leveller, and it seemed as though the league leaders would go home empty-handed. However, having been sidelined since October with a rib injury, Jota entered the fray after 79 minutes and made a huge difference.

After just seven minutes on the pitch, he guided the ball home to secure a vital point for Slot's men. The Liverpool boss reserved special praise for the Portuguese star, particularly his intelligence on the pitch—a quality Klopp had hailed in the past.

“We had Jota back… I couldn’t have asked for more,” Slot told BBC Match of the Day after the Fulham clash. “Jota is so intelligent with his positioning and with what to do with the ball. It was a great team goal. It’s nice to have him back, he’s been away for two months.

“So many things happened but what stood out for me was how impressive our performance was with 10 men. We ran for 11. The players put in an outstanding performance with pressing. We had more problems at 11 v 11 than we did when we were down to 10.

“It happens in a season that you get a red card. It’s good we are a team that is very difficult to beat. We lost to Nottingham, Arsenal, Newcastle we dropped points. You can look at it that way, but you don’t want to drop points in a home game against Forest and Fulham.”

Last December, when the 28-year-old was just about to make his return from a different injury, Klopp, who signed Jota for £45million in 2020, also chimed in on this star’s characteristics. Much like Slot, it was specifically the Portuguese ace’s footballing IQ that Klopp wanted to shine a light on. “Diogo is a very smart footballer," he said at the time.

“He understands the game really well. He understands it on a different level, he sees situations slightly earlier to adapt quicker, he’s both footed and a great finisher. I love the Diogo story. I hope he is back [fit] now for the next 10 years.”

Slot will now be hoping that Jota can stay fit for a jam-packed Christmas schedule. Liverpool travel to Southampton in the EFL Cup on Wednesday before staying down south for a clash with struggling Tottenham. They’ll also host Leicester on Boxing Day before returning to London for a game against West Ham three days later.

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