Alan Shearer has sung the praises of Divock Origi after his impact against Barcelona which saw Liverpool pull off a magnificent turnaround
The Reds sealed their place in Champions League final for the second successive season with a 4-0 victory at Anfield, a result which overturned the 3-0 defeat in Spain last week.
Speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live, Shearer praised Origi’s hold up play and effect on the Barcelona defence after the Belgian forward scored both the opener just seven minutes in and the winner, saying: “He has been a nuisance for their defenders. His hold up play has been excellent. He’s full of energy, full of running, full of confidence obviously because of that goal.”
"Origi's been a right handful for the Barcelona defenders."@AlanShearer has been impressed by the Belgian forward so far. #LFC 1-0 #FCB (1-3 agg)
? Follow 5 Live Final Score: https://t.co/7Eo0MmbERv #LIVBAR #BBCFootball pic.twitter.com/6iCyDZNhtM
— BBC 5 Live Sport (@5liveSport) May 7, 2019
Origi’s goals made it three in two appearances and book-ended an unlikely comeback from Liverpool at Anfield.
OPINION
Divock Origi was brilliant in the first half for his side in the biggest club competition football has to offer. It was a big task for the Belgian to step into a starting position after so long of being on the bench as a back up to Mo Salah and he definitely repaid the faith shown in him by Jurgen Klopp when scoring the first goal to spark a Liverpool comeback. Fans of Liverpool would have been very comprehensive before the game started with Salah and Firmino out injured but in all honesty, Origi offered so much more when coming up against Barcelona’s back four. The strength and power that Origi possesses is very different to the direct skill and flair from Salah and the 24-year-old showed that his presence could have been vital at the Camp Nou. Origi was central to many moves with his physicality and showed great predatory instinct to take his goal after a rebound from a Jordan Henderson shot and Shearer was right to single out the impact Origi had on the game, especially in the first half.
