With a win over Brighton, Liverpool reached last season’s points total with nine games to spare, and one man in particular was to thank for the three points.
Alexis Mac Allister was a joy to watch on Sunday as his low centre of gravity, excellent control and elegance on the ball gave Liverpool the edge over Brighton.
Having started the season playing as a holding midfielder, his move to a more attacking position has taken his game to a new level, and the numbers FotMob provide back this up.
In Mac Allister’s last eight starts for Liverpool, Wataru Endo has played as the defensive midfielder seven times – Joe Gomez was the No. 6 on the other occasion – allowing the Argentine to play further forward.
During those eight starts, he has nine goal contributions – an incredible number for a midfielder. Previous to those eight starts, he had just three contributions all season.
Sunday was arguably Mac Allister’s most impressive performance yet for the Reds, setting up Mo Salah‘s winning goal and generally having a massive impact of the match.
He created more chances (five) than anyone else and made more passes into the final third (11) than anybody on the pitch.
His dominance was hard for Brighton suppress, as only Jarell Quansah had more touches for Liverpool on the day.
It wasn’t just his personal ability that made the Argentine’s performance so impressive, though. It was his ability to bring others into play with his passing that made him so influential.
On the right, he helped Conor Bradley who had the third-most touches of any Liverpool player, as the right-back created four chances and won 11 duels, joint-most with Joel Veltman at Anfield.
It wasn’t just in attack that Mac Allister proved his worth; FotMob state that he made more clearances (three) and more headed clearances (two) than any other Red, all while on a harsh 14th-minute yellow card.
At just 25 years old, the World Cup winner’s latest run of form has shown what an asset he can be to Liverpool in the long-term.
Something that could prove key for the Reds is his relatively strong record when it comes to staying fit. In the last four seasons, he has missed just 12 games (two injuries), according to Transfermarkt.
The lack of injuries has been one of the things that has been so valuable about Mo Salah over the years. Soon, Liverpool may need a new talisman and Mac Allister has the potential to fill that role.
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