Liverpool turned up the heat on the rest of the Premier League on Sunday with a dominating win over Tottenham.
The Reds had been expected to find the going tough in North London, but in the end they could easily have scored more than the six goals they managed against Spurs.
It was a superb day for the Liverpool forwards, with Luis Diaz, Mohamed Salah and Dominik Szoboszlai the game’s most eye-catching players.
But while Szoboszlai showed a new element to the Liverpool attack, those at the other end of the pitch also deserved praise.
It may sound strange after a game in which they conceded three goals, but the Reds defence was generally very good.
Key to it all was Joe Gomez. After coming in for the injured Ibrahima Konate, Jamie Carragher said Gomez was ‘outstanding‘. It was the latest in a string of top displays from the No.2, who has had quite the turnaround under Arne Slot.
Joe Gomez of Liverpool during the Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur FC and Liverpool FC at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on December 22, ...
Photo by Catherine Ivill – AMA/Getty Images
Joe Gomez could replace Ibrahima Konate
As has often been the case during his nine-and-a-half years at Anfield, Gomez has had to be patient this season.
The 27-year-old found himself as fourth choice centre-back at the start of the campaign having slipped behind both Konate and Jarell Quansah as Virgil van Dijk’s preferred partner.
MORE LIVERPOOL STORIES
Bumped down the pecking order, it was no surprise that Gomez was almost sold in the summer, with a move to Newcastle on the verge of going through. His days as a Red looked numbered.
Even after the former Charlton youngster stayed, he had to wait until Konate’s injury and December the 1st for his first Premier League start of the season.
READ MORE: Virgil van Dijk shares what he really thinks about Joe Gomez after failed Liverpool departure in the summer
But having clearly now jumped ahead of Quansah in Slot’s thinking, Gomez has started each of Liverpool’s last six matches, four of which have come in the league.
And after another superb showing on Sunday, we think Konate could now be sweating on his place back in the starting XI.
Gomez should not be going anywhere
Konate was excellent for Liverpool all the way up until his last-second injury against Real Madrid. Some supporters were left wondering just how on earth the Reds would cope without him.
But Liverpool won a Premier League title with Gomez next to Van Dijk and given the form he has shown over the past three weeks, there’s every chance that their partnerhsip could be the bedrock for another.
Season Total Appearances
2015/16 7
2016/17 3
2017/18 31
2018/19 25
2019/20 43
2020/21 12
2021/22 21
2022/23 31
2023/24 51
2024/25* 14*
Joe Gomez at Liverpool
At the very least Slot has a question to answer once Konate comes back. When Caoimhin Kelleher was brilliant during Alisson Becker’s absence, the Liverpool head coach was adamant that Alisson would return when fit.
After installing Konate as his clear first-choice, right-sided centre-back it will be fascinating to see whether Slot sticks to this same principle.
One thing that is now for sure is that the Dutch coach knows he can count on Gomez to do a job whenever needed. There should be no more doubt over his future as a Liverpool player and should Slot decide he’s a regular starter in 2025, nobody should could really argue.
Related Posts