Deigo Jota recalls a Ronaldo sentence from years back that helped him through his goal drought.
Liverpool forward Diogo Jota has revealed a Cristiano Ronaldo statement that stuck with him and inspired him through a tough time before his brace against Leeds today.
Jota scored twice in the second half and assisted once in Liverpool's 6-1 thumping of Leeds United to keep their top-four ambitions alive.
The match in brief
Cody Gakpo grabbed the lead for the visitors, tapping in a Trent Alexander Arnold assist in the 35th minute before Mohammed Salah made it two in the 39th minute on a Jota assist.
Luis Sinisterra grabbed one back for the hosts in the 47th minute of the game pouncing on a Konate mistake, but Jota re-established Liverpool's two-goal advantage in the 52nd minute
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Salah made it 4-1 in the 64th minute, and Jota further increased the lead on the 73rd-minute mark before Darwin Nunez came off the bench to close out the scoring in second-half injury time.
What Jota said
Jota last scored for Liverpool in April of last year and has been on a 32-game drought since his strike in the 2-2 draw against Manchester City.
The Portugal international was relieved to grab his first goal of the season, revealing that it has been difficult for him, before he went on to reveal a statement by Ronaldo that he had kept a watchword through the trying times.
In 2010, during a goal drought of his own, the five-time Ballon d'Or winner likened scoring goals to getting ketchup from a bottle. Ronaldo himself was quoting a football legend, as Jota did today, "Goals, as a football legend once told me, are like ketchup," Ronaldo told reporters, per Reuters.
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“Sometimes, as much as you try, they don't come out, and when they come, many come all at the same time."
The Liverpool forward remembered his compatriot's statement from many years ago, suggesting it guided him through his goal drought.
"Finally. It has been a hard season for me, for the team and it was a great relief for me,” Jota said, per the BBC.
"It was a mix but good feelings. I always want to be involved. I did an assist in the first half, but I like to score more."
On the ketchup bottle saying: "That's one of the sentences Ronaldo said and it stuck in my head. We know what it's like in football. Things change quick."
Jota would get another chance to continue his goalscoring when Liverpool host Nottingham Forest at Anfield in their next Premier League match.
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