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Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk waxed lyrical about his teammate Diogo Jota after their Carabao Cup victory over Arsenal on Thursday.
The Portuguese forward struck twice in the match to help the Reds secure a 2-0 victory at the Emirates and set up a showpiece clash with Chelsea in the finals.
Following a 0-0 draw at Anfield last week, the Gunners seemed to have the advantage with the decisive leg in their backyard. But Jurgen Klopp's side were just too good for them, with Jota opening the scoring for the visitors in the 19th minute before doubling the cushion late on.
To rub further salt on their wounds, Arsenal even finished the match with 10-men as Thomas Partey was sent off in the 90th minute for a second bookable offence.
Jota's goal-tally for the season now stands at 14 in 27 games and Van Dijk believes those numbers speak for himself as he heaped praise on the hitman.
Speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live after the game, the Dutchman said:
“Diogo Jota is already a fantastic player, the numbers speak for themselves.
“He is very important, he has shown it from last year and is a difficult striker/winger to play against. I know it from training. He stepped up again tonight.
“He took the second goal fantastically well, a great ball from Trent Alexander-Arnold and it put relief in the team.
“If it was 1-0 in the last 10 minutes it might have been tricky. We controlled the game overall and did not have massive chances.”
Jota signed for Liverpool from Wolverhampton Wanderers in 2020 for £41 million and has consistently impressed ever since.
In 57 matches, he's struck 27 goals, including 19 in the Premier League from 39 outings. Had it not been for some injuries, those figures would've been higher.
Jota is aiming for his first title with Liverpool
Surprisingly, the Portuguese star hasn't won a trophy with the Reds yet but that drought could end soon.
Liverpool are looking to end their 10-year wait for the Carabao Cup, last lifting the title in 2012 and Jota could help them with that too.
Chelsea are currently stuck in a rut, struggling to capture their early-season mojo while looking vulnerable at the back.
With Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane also back in the squad from the African Cup of Nations by then, Jota will be gunning for his first piece of silverware.
