Diogo Jota: “We Have A Point And We Move On”

Diogo Jota has been in a rich vein of form. The Portuguese forward has been essential to the Liverpool attack since Roberto Firmino went down with an injury, popping up and scoring key goals at a great clip. With his headed goal today, Jota now has seven goals in his last nine games for Liverpool.

Despite his goal, Liverpool failed to win since the Brighton match at the end of October. For Jota, it was all about keeping things in perspective when asked about how the game went.

“Hard – a hard game from the beginning until the end, a lot of things going on. I think we did a very good first half; second half, they pushed a little bit more forward. They had their chances, we had ours. We have a point and we move on. I think the first half was better from our side than the second. We also had the red card so we couldn’t push forward in the last minutes like we normally do. But in the end it’s a point and we move on.”

With over half the season left, it’s certainly not a death knell for Liverpool. Despite the draw, the Reds are only three points behind Manchester City at the top of the table. Jota and his teammates took the long view as they tried to close out the back and forth game while down a man.

“We wanted to push for the win but after being down to 10 men, playing away, Tottenham, you need to save the point and that’s what we did in the final minutes. So we’re pleased with that. Yeah, it could be better, but it could also be worse. I think we are three points away from the first spot now, it’s a game. So it’s not perfect but it’s not bad.”

Of course, Jota and the other players weren’t even sure if they were going to play today. That uncertainty is just one more factor that the players have to deal with when preparing for the quick succession of games this time of year, explained Jota.

“It’s an extra factor. COVID is again in play – last-minute changes, games cancelled, we’re not sure if we’re going to play or not. It’s an extra factor and we have to deal with that.”