Diogo Jota steals the show on Luis Diaz’s full Liverpool debut against Leicester

They had come in expectation that a former Porto forward would make the difference and, in some respects, they got what they wanted.

But rather than Luis Diaz, fresh from his £37.5million move from Portugal’s second city, the man who lit the fuse was the one who is Mohamed Salah’s closest challenger to be crowned Liverpool’s Player of the Season.

It is Diogo Jota’s misfortune, perhaps, that he has landed at Anfield at a time when Salah has taken his form to such levels he is viewed as the world’s best just now. Salah, by rights, should sweep the board at the end of season awards and few will be able to begrudge whatever gongs come his way.

Diogo Jota scored both goals as Liverpool downed Leicester 2-0 at Anfield on Thursday

Pre-match, all the hype was about Luis Diaz as he was handed a start by Jurgen Klopp

The very fact, though, that we can see Jota is making it a competition should serve notice to what levels he has reached in his second year on Merseyside. During Salah’s time at the African Cup of Nations, the Portuguese has taken another step forward to underline his own importance.

Of course it was natural that Diaz, whom Liverpool snapped up as the window closed by beating competition from Tottenham and Manchester United, found all eyes from The Kop on him as his inclusion in the starting line-up generated great expectation.

Excitement would have turned into a frenzy if, after 15 seconds, the Colombian had marked his first start with a goal – and that looked likely when the excellent Trent Alexander-Arnold spotted an opportunity play him in.

Diaz would become a persistent scampering nuisance for James Justin, scuttling at him with his sleeveless arms moving like pistons as he engaged overdrive. It is early days but the signs are that Liverpool have found themselves another outstanding forward. He was electric all night.

If Diaz wants to understand the levels he must reach, however, he should look no further than Jota, who spent a year on loan at Porto – and that was where he developed a liking for putting Leicester to the sword, scoring in a 5-0 Champions League rout of Claudio Ranieri’s side in December 2016.

Jota scored a hat-trick for Wolves against Leicester in January 2019, a defeat that sent Claude Puel spinning towards the exit door; since joining Liverpool, the 25-year-old has continued to be a nuisance to those in Blue.

His cameo in the Carabao Cup quarter-final, including a crucial penalty in a shootout, was critical in helping Liverpool knock Leicester out to reach the last four – and ultimately pave a way to Wembley – but what he did was huge in the context of the campaign.

It was a promising start to life in the Premier League by Diaz but the night belonged to Jota

But Jota demonstrated once again how much of a key player for Liverpool he has become

Leicester did not play like a team that has lost their hunger and, typically, they were well organised for Brendan Rodgers. It is wretched that a man who has overseen to fifth placed finished and won the FA Cup for a club should be under pressure but, sadly, this is the modern world.

The visitors’ perseverance meant Liverpool needed fight and ruthlessness and, in Jota, they had a man who embodied those qualities. With the first half meandering to its interval, he popped up with the strike to break the deadlock. His second, at the death, keeps the pressure on Manchester City.

To underline Jota’s importance, this was the 10th time in this campaign that he had scored Liverpool’s first goal. He might not be winning any personal awards in the spring – but such influence may see his team winning them instead. It wouldn’t be a bad consolation.