Liverpool boss has head in hands over Luis Diaz goal

Liverpool looked to be running out of ideas against Xabi Alonso’s well-drilled Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League.

That is, of course, until Arne Slot’s men opted to up a gear or two and dismantle their opponents in a lethal two-minute salvo that saw Luis Diaz and Cody Gakpo hand the hosts a 2-0 lead in the second half.

It should come as no surprise to the club’s former Champions League-winning midfielder, of course. He’ll have no doubt poured over footage of the Merseysiders’ impressive 2-1 comeback over Brighton & Hove Albion in the Premier League – another tie decided by a two-minute blitz of goals from the Reds’ Dutch forward and Mo Salah.

Arne Slot in awe of Luis Diaz goal

Even Slot couldn’t contain his awe after having seen Curtis Jones’ world-class, defence-splitting pass matched with an equally audacious chipped finish from our No.7.

A goal worthy of the shirt, the occasion and the opponent.

Jurgen Klopp’s successor was left with his hands on his head, contemplating the brilliance that unfolded before him, whilst the Liverpool bench rose to their feet to shower the Colombian with applause.

You can catch the clip below, courtesy of Amazon Prime on X (formerly Twitter):

The slow-mo of that Luis Diaz finish… 🤩#UCLonPrime pic.twitter.com/tlawYnhwbJ

— Amazon Prime Video Sport (@primevideosport) November 5, 2024

Luis Diaz looks a force of nature under Slot

To give credit where credit is due to Jurgen Klopp, he can’t really be blamed for a mixed campaign from his left-sided winger.

Diaz didn’t have a terrible 2023/24 season, though you could certainly argue that a return of 18 goal contributions in 51 games isn’t quite what you’d hope for from a Liverpool attacker.

That said, it shouldn’t be forgotten that this is the same campaign in which the former FC Porto star had to deal with the emotional turmoil of his father’s kidnapping.

Fast forward to 2024/25 and the winger’s superb hat-trick against Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League and it’s hard to escape the fact that Arne Slot has inspired an incredible run of form from the Colombian. He’s not the only player the former Feyenoord boss appears to have improved with his work on the training ground.

11 in 15 games (across all competitions) following a 4-0 dismantling of Xabi Alonso’s visitors certainly reflects that point.

Luis Diaz FT stats v Bayer Leverkusen, courtesy of Sofascore:

• 9.3/10 rating
• 3 shots on target, 3 goals [1.64 xG]
• 1 key pass
• 88% pass success rate (22/25)