Liverpool fans are desperate for a star’s return.
The Reds played out a 0-0 draw against Newcastle United, a result that was shaped by United’s goalkeeper Karl Darlow.
Darlow played like he was trying to earn himself a place in England manager Gareth Southgate’s next squad as he denied the entire Liverpool front three.
Despite peppering the Magpies’ goal with 11 shots, Sadio Mane, Roberto Firmino and Mohamed Salah failed to hit the back of the net and now Manchester United could go joint top of the table if they beat Aston Villa.
Liverpool could have lost the game had Alisson not been on hand to keep out Toon defender Ciaran Clarke’s late header.
However, the headlines here will rest on Liverpool’s inability to score against a Newcastle side that has been in poor form.
Diogo Jota suffered a knee injury against Danish side Midtjylland in a pointless Champions League game, and fans are desperate to get the Portugal star back in the side for these difficult games.
With five goals in nine Premier League games, Jota has been the man to make a difference time after time. He hit the back of the net in vital moments against Brighton, West Ham and Sheffield United.
Could the former Wolves man have changed the game against Newcastle? It’s difficult to say, because Steve Bruce had his men defending well and Darlow was in such good form. Fabian Schar also hooked the ball off the line to deny Liverpool a goal.
But Jota would have brought some different movement to things. He attacks the six-yard box better than anyone else in the squad and moves like a veteran centre-forward.
That could have caused some chaos among the Geordie ranks and made space for Mane or Salah as they cut in from the wings.
Regardless, more options and more quality options will only be a good thing for Liverpool.