Liverpool fans hailed a performance from Roberto Firmino on Sunday after he helped the Reds win vs Crystal Palace. The Brazilian was in fine form.
Liverpool started magnificently at Selhurst Park. They controlled Crystal Palace for a solid 35 minutes, pressing perfectly, moving the ball quickly and creating chances.
A huge part of that was Roberto Firmino. Liverpool’s striker played his False 9 role wonderfully here, drifting into space and consistently allowing his teammates an extra option on the ball. This was a great example of everything the Brazilian has brought since his £29m arrival in 2015 – the ability to make the game easier for everyone else.
It was one of those games where Firmino didn’t necessarily have chances himself, nor did he provide assists. Instead, he was the one who opened up the spaces and some of his close control on the wings was sensational.
And despite the lack of ‘goal contributions’, Liverpool fans were still quick to point out just how good Firmino was against Palace.
As you can sense from some of the reaction there, Firmino’s performance did drop off from his wonderful start. But you can say that about Liverpool as a whole.
The Reds absolutely dominated the first 35 minutes but things slowly left their control. Firmino was no exception to that, either – his best moments came in that opening period.
Fortunately, Liverpool were so good in that period that they did enough to secure the win. Jurgen Klopp put the loss of control down to ‘an intense week’, which certainly explains things.
Now comes a two-week break, of course. With that, Liverpool can hopefully recapture a bit of fitness, feel a little refreshed and deliver the kind of performance they opened with here on a more consistent basis.
And with Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane potentially back by then, the likes of Firmino may have another level left to hit this season.
Have something to tell us about this article?
Leave a Reply