Diogo Jota has revealed that he “told” Joe Gomez before kick-off that the defender would get an assist against Watford.
The England international stepped in for Trent Alexander-Arnold at right-back and delivered an inch-perfect cross for Jota to put Liverpool ahead, midway through the first-half. It was Gomez’s first assist in the Premier League since 2017 - though the quality of the delivery did not suggest as much.
However, Jota was confident that the 24-year-old was going to be an attacking influence for Liverpool against Watford. The pair played together in the recent FA Cup win over Nottingham Forest and the striker had some words of encouragement for his team-mate in the dressing room.
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“To be honest, I told Joe before the game he was going to get an assist today,” Jota told BT Sport. “Against Nottingham Forest, I had a few crosses from him that I did not know what to expect, but today I was confident and I told him, fortunately for us it went in.”
The goal took Jota to 20 for the season across all competitions and set Liverpool on course for their eventual 2-0 win at Anfield. It was a win that put the Reds two points clear of Manchester City, who then regained top spot with a 2-0 victory over their own, at Burnley.
Making only his second league start of the season, Gomez impressed yet again from his albeit less-favoured full-back role, with Alexander-Arnold fit enough to be named among the substitutes only. However, Gomez admitted that he was happy to play his part in the win over Roy Hodgson’s side.
He said: “We know that Trent (Alexander-Arnold) is a top player and what he brings to the side, it is not my natural position that I played today but I was happy to contribute today and like Diogo said, he trusted my delivery today.”
