Takumi Minamino scored two brilliantly taken goals against Norwich City last night. The double means that he has now found the net nine times in 22 appearances this season.
That isn’t a bad strike-rate in itself. But when you factor in minutes played, it really starts to look like the Japanese is having a quietly excellent season with Liverpool.
As per BBC Sport, Minamino now has a goal every 99 minutes of play this campaign for The Reds. That puts him top of the pile in Jurgen Klopp’s squad.
Mohamed Salah has been exceptional this campaign. The Egyptian looks likely to claim both the Premier League Golden Boot and the Player of the Year awards.
But even he can’t match Minamino in this one. Salah may have 27 goals, but according to the data, they come along every 102 minutes.
Mo has a well-known appetite to be the best in every metric out there. It’s probable that he’ll be aware that he’s now slipped to second in this particular table.
Don’t be surprised to see him racing out of the traps against West Ham United on Saturday to put this one right.
The Hammers are one of Salah’s favourite opponents. Nine of his 150 Liverpool goals have come against the East Londoners, that’s level with Watford as the most goals Mo has scored against a single team.
Up for the cup
Third on Liverpool’s list of goals per minute is Divock Origi. The Belgian isn’t far behind Minamino and Salah having registered a goal every 107 minutes this season.
Origi and Minamino’s tandem in the cup competitions is a large part of why Liverpool are in with a chance of winning both domestic cup trophies.
Although he didn’t score last night, Origi’s assist for Minamino showed the understanding between the pair.
In the early rounds of the Carabao Cup, the two players were unstoppable.
They scored all of the five goals Liverpool scored against Norwich and Preston North End in round’s three and four.
Unfortunately for Origi, injury curtailed his involvement in the later rounds. But he looks fit again and with Roberto Firmino still out injured, he could get more minutes in the coming weeks.
Minamino on the other hand is absolutely flying. The 27-year-old looks like a guarantee of goals when Liverpool are in cup action.
Indeed, Klopp even said he had his best ever game in a red shirt last night, labelling the forward as ‘incredible’ (Daily Mail).
If the Reds do end up with multiple trophies this season, Minamino can claim to have played a pivotal role in that.
He often gets maligned for not being Salah or Diogo Jota. But he has more than proven his worth to the squad and is a symbol of how Klopp’s depth of options is now better than ever.
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