Liverpool finally get what they wanted from transfer as Jurgen Klopp reality dawns

Mac Allister a bargain

The time may not have quite come for the jury to deliver their verdict, but the outcome is unlikely to be any different: is there a better value for money Premier League signing this season than Alexis Mac Allister?

Even before the Argentina World Cup winner kicked a ball for Liverpool, there was a sense the Reds had pulled off a bargain by triggering his £35million release clause at Brighton.

So it has proved. “Alexis is exactly the player I hope he would be,” said Jurgen Klopp on Friday, although it’s only when operating in his preferred advanced midfield role that Mac Allister has truly prospered.

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By some distance Liverpool’s most creative force in the first half here against his former club, that quality ultimately made the difference with his crisp pass in for Mohamed Salah to score the winner. Having been at fault for a goal on his return to the South Coast in October, there would undoubtedly have been a sense of making amends.

Mac Allister created the most chances of the match and had a 92% pass accuracy, while the defensive resolve required during his stint earlier in the season as a number six was evidenced in six ball recoveries.

He also now has 12 goal contributions this season, the joint most from a Liverpool midfielder. That nine have come in his last nine outings underlines the impact he is making further upfield. This is most definitely the player Liverpool had hoped for.

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