Jose Enrique has declared that Roberto Firmino was Liverpool’s Man of the Match today, and it wasn’t even close.
The former Liverpool defender took to Twitter after Liverpool beat Bournemouth 9-0. Sharing a photo of Firmino celebrating, Enrique claimed that there was ‘no doubt’ that the Brazilian was the best player on the pitch.
“No doubt about the MOTM I believe? What a game by him.”
Hard to argue, really. Liverpool’s no.9 was absolutely sensational as he had a direct hand in five of The Reds’ nine goals against Bournemouth.
100 up for Bobby
Saturday quickly turned into a landmark day for Firmino. Not only did he score two goals and set up a further three, the £180k-a-week man scored his 99th and 100th goals for Liverpool.
Quite an achievement when you consider he’s not even thought of as a goal-scoring striker.
It’s taken Bobby far longer than either Sadio Mane or Mohamed Salah to bring up a century for The Reds. But his tonne now means that Liverpool’s fabled front-three of 2017-2022 have all hit three figures at the club.
It isn’t that Firmino’s legacy at Anfield needed any work, the 30-year-old is already a legend. His record does add a little bit of gloss, though.
And what a performance to put the cherry on it, too. After a couple of uninspiring displays leading the line for Liverpool, a few no doubt questioned whether Firmino was still capable of starting games.
That’s nothing new for Bobby. But this time, with a year left on his contract, it felt as though his decline could be terminal for his Liverpool future.
The Reds’ won’t change their plans for Firmino based on one game, that’s for sure. If he can consistently return this kind of sparkle to his game though, he could yet find himself extending his stay beyond this season.
The way he started the game was reminiscent of him at his very best. We’ve not seen that Bobby Firmino at Anfield nearly enough over the last two years. With a good early season display now under his belt, let’s hope there’s a few more to come yet.
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