Roberto Firmino is back after phenomenal Manchester United display

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Roberto Firmino put in a standout performance against Manchester United on Thursday evening. It’s the one Liverpool have been waiting for.

Roberto Firmino bagged two goals against Manchester United on Thursday. His first, a bullet header, put Liverpool in front right on half-time.

It didn’t take him long after the restart to grab his second, either. Firmino took advantage of a mess in United’s defence to score what ended up being the winning goal.

It was a big-game performance from a player who has struggled this season.

Roberto Firmino shines vs United

Two goals, two created chances and a constant danger. This is the Firmino we know and love. He consistently caused chaos for United and they didn’t know how to handle him.

We pointed it out before the game – United’s system would struggle against Firmino at his best. As long as he delivered, they weren’t going to stop him.

And it proved true. Their two sitting midfielders left space between them for Firmino to utilise, while their defenders were never sure if they should follow him or hold their position.

The result was Firmino having 3.5% of the ball yesterday. That’s quite a lot for a forward – Edinson Cavani, for comparison, had it for 1.9% of the game.

Mohamed Salah and Diogo Jota (2.6 and 2.3 percent) were able to focus on running in behind as their teammate consistently gave Liverpool the out-ball they needed. Everything worked far better with an in-form Firmino.

Not that it’s news to anyone, of course. The problem has been that we’ve rarely seen that Firmino this season.

Klopp’s chance

Liverpool looked pretty good going forward against Southampton. Firmino started that game on the bench, though, and it wasn’t a surprise.

By his own admission, Firmino hasn’t been good this season.

“It’s been a difficult season for me. We have to be honest, there’s no lack of hope for improvement. My desire is to evolve and grow every day. There’s no lack of motivation for me,” he told ESPN Brasil.

“I judge myself a lot. I know that I’m not at my best compared to the last few years.”

Jurgen Klopp took a bit of a chance, then, by throwing him back in for this one and leave Sadio Mane on the bench. It paid off.

Firmino looked ‘back’ for the first time this season. Confident, fluid, brilliant. If he keeps this up for the rest of the season, we’ll fully expect Liverpool to get those wins and a top-four finish.