Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain had a shaky start to his Liverpool career, but he’s slowly begun to show his potential as his development continues under Jurgen Klopp. Sunday provided his biggest test yet, with league leaders Manchester City coming to Anfield having yet to lose this season.
The Englishman set up a stunning Liverpool win with a superbly taken goal to open the scoring, and that moment gave him the confidence to grow into the game. In a match full of dazzling performances, Oxlade-Chamberlain was arguably Liverpool’s standout player.
Here’s a closer look at how the 24-year-old fared:
BASIC STATS
Goals – 1
Assists – 1
Shots – 2
Passing accuracy – 79%
Key Passes – 3
Touches – 67
Dribbles – 5
EFFECTIVENESS
This was Oxlade-Chamberlain’s best display in a Liverpool shirt. His running and passing added to Liverpool’s attacking threat, and he was an integral part of Jurgen Klopp’s high press, which clearly unsettled City. The pass to set-up Liverpool’s second goal, putting the team back in the lead, was perfectly delivered, but his crowning moment had come long before that, opening the scoring with a sweetly-struck shot.
KEY MOMENTS
9th min, GOAL: The moment Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain arrived as a Liverpool player. Driving forward with the ball, he took advantage of City’s defenders opting to back off him and unleashed a ferocious strike. Goal, in a big game, against the Premier League leaders – doesn’t get much better than that.
56th min, SHOT: Having seen his own keeper get caught out at the near post, Oxlade-Chamberlain tried to pull off the same trick. Ederson was up to the task in the City goal, though, palming away the Englishman’s shot.
59th min, ASSIST: Everyone will remember Roberto Firmino‘s sublime finish, chipping over one of the tallest keepers in the league, but Oxlade-Chamberlain’s pass was equally vital. Perfectly weighted, placed into just the right spot for Firmino to pull off an exquisite goal.
VERDICT: 9/10
Oxlade-Chamberlain has been slowly improving during his Liverpool spell, but this was the signature performance his career needed. Not even his promising displays at Arsenal match this. The numbers say a goal and an assist, but there was so much more than that. Purposeful running, linking up well with the front three, and proving an attacking threat on his own. He looked every bit the newest member of Liverpool’s Fab Four.