Alexis Mac Allister kept up an outstanding run of form in front of goal with a stunner against Sheffield United, pulling off a feat not seen since Steven Gerrard.
Mac Allister has put himself firmly in contention for Liverpool’s player of the season with his performances in recent months, having already excelled upon his arrival from Brighton.
It has largely been since switching to his natural No. 8 position that fans have started to see the best of him – particularly in terms of goals and assists.
The 25-year-old scored his sixth goal of the season with an outrageous effort into the top corner to effectively win the game against Sheffield United on Thursday night.
That made it five goals and five assists in Mac Allister’s last 11 games for the club in all competitions, with only one of those coming when starting as a lone defensive midfielder.
Included in that run, the Argentine has either scored or assisted in each of his last six games for Liverpool in all competitions – four goals, three assists in total.
According to Opta’s Michael Reid, that makes him the first Liverpool midfielder to do so since Steven Gerrard between December and January 2013.
Mac Allister also has at least one direct goal contribution in each of the last six games in the Premier League, with three goals and four assists in that time.
Two of his goals in that run were match-winners – against Brentford and Sheffield United – and he assisted the winning goal in three more of those games – against Luton, Nottingham Forest and Brighton.
It is exactly the level of form that Liverpool need from key players at this stage of the season, with Mac Allister proving increasingly influential in the run-in.
That Liverpool were able to sign him for just £35 million last summer makes his performances in this debut campaign -which it must be said, has had its trials – all the more impressive.
As Klopp put it after Thursday’s win: “I’m really happy for Liverpool that we got him.”
