Murphy wowed by ‘under-the-radar’ Liverpool star after MOTD footage v Newcastle
Danny Murphy had nothing but good things to say about Liverpool as they beat Newcastle 2-0 at Anfied on Wednesday night.
The Reds now have 67 points to their name in the Premier League and are 13 points clear of second-placed Arsenal.
Thanks to their win over the Magpies, Arne Slot’s men managed to also extend their unbeaten run across all competitions to five and look to be well on their way to winning the Premier League title.
While most of Liverpool’s players performed to a high level against Eddie Howe’s men, there was one player in particular who impressed Murphy after a clip he saw on Match of the Day.
Murphy lauds Luis Diaz for performance v Newcastle
The Reds have been on top form this term and while there have been times in games against teams such as Plymouth Argyle and PSV when they’ve underperformed, for the most part, they’ve been one of the most dominant teams in world football.
Luis Diaz, however, has had a rather spotty season with the Colombia international often being linked with an Anfield exit.
The winger is skilful and could dribble through an entire team if he wanted to but his end product has often left a lot to be desired.
| Competiton | Goals | Assists |
| Premier League | 9 | 3 |
| FA Cup | 0 | 0 |
| Carabao Cup | 1 | 0 |
| Champions League | 3 | 1 |
But, after he managed to assist Dominik Szobszlai for the Reds’ opener, Murphy, while live on Match of the Day (26 February, 10m0s) shared why he thinks Diaz has gone under the radar this term.
“[The win] was classy, it was controlled, measured, there were some great performances, especially from midfield with Szoboszlai and Mac Allister,” Murphy said.
“But I’ve picked out Diaz because I think he’s gone under the radar a bit with all of the plaudits that a lot of the players are getting.
“He’s got a wonderful work ethic and attitude to the game, wherever he’s asked to play.
“A lot of the time this season he’s been asked to play that centre-forward role but he was more out wide [against Newcastle] because Diogo Jota played and the first real impact he made was that beautiful pick out for Szoboszlai.”
Diaz must prove his worth to Slot
This season, it’s undeniable that Liverpool’s best player has been Mohamed Salah.
The Egyptian King has often carried the Merseyside outfit on his back and has contributed to 52 goals across all competitions this season.
In Diaz’s case, however, while he has often been used as a striker, he should have had more of a say on how some of Liverpool’s results have turned out.
So far in the 2024/25 campaign, Diaz has only contributed to 17 goals across all competitions so if he wants to keep his place in Slot’s team, he’s going to have to turn things up a gear or two as we enter the final third of the term.
Only time will tell what the future holds for Diaz and co. at Anfield in the summer but if he manages to better his recent form, it’s hard to see why Slot would want to sell him on before next season, especially with Salah’s future still undecided.