When Diogo Jota received the ball from Trent Alexander-Arnold in the 19th minute of Liverpool’s League Cup match at the Emirates Stadium, he still had a lot to do.
The Portuguese forward was about 35 yards from goal for one thing, but he made what followed next look simple.
Jota poked the ball between Takehiro Tomiyasu’s legs to take him out of the equation, then headed for the ‘D’ on the edge of the penalty area.
Arcing his run ever so slightly to buy a yard of space, Liverpool’s number 20 then fired a shot from outside the box which wrongfooted Aaron Ramsdale and rolled casually into the Arsenal net.
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While he added another impressive goal towards the end of the contest, it was this one which effectively took the Reds to their 13th League Cup final as it broke the deadlock and the Gunners never fought back.
It was notable in another, slightly less obvious, aspect though. It was the first of Jota’s 27 Liverpool goals in all competitions which was scored from beyond the edge of the penalty area.
His ‘fox in the box’ nature predates his move to Anfield too. All 35 Premier League goals he has scored in his career have been hit from within the 18-yard box.
Jota scored from long range in the Championship in his first season in England, and got one in the Europa League two seasons later but otherwise his CV is free of goals from outside the area ( per WhoScored ).
A look at his statistics, particularly from this season, show exactly why Jota is so prolific from relatively close range.
Per FBRef, his average shot in league football this season has been taken from 10.8 yards.
Among players who’ve taken at least 30 shots in England, France, Germany, Italy or Spain in 2021/22, only Edin Dzeko (at 10.1) has taken them from closer to the opposition goal.
It’s interesting to wonder if Jota will eventually become Liverpool’s top penalty box predator. He is often compared to Robbie Fowler, but ‘God’ scored some spectacular goals from distance over the years.
It’s not as if the Portuguese striker’s current teammates have scored a huge number of goals from outside the box either.
Mohamed Salah has six in the Premier League, while Roberto Firmino has five and Sadio Mane has two.
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But Jota’s record suggests he has a chance to become the modern era’s ultimate penalty box finisher, as he is already in the upper reaches of the standings.
He will face competition from at least two current forwards though. Manchester City’s Gabriel Jesus has 52 Premier League goals scored entirely from within the box, while Michail Antonio of West Ham currently has 54.
It seems inevitable that both players will go past Tim Cahill, the current record holder, who got 56 without a single long-range effort.
Other players currently ahead of Jota include Kevin Doyle (with 37), David Unsworth (38), John Terry (41) and Javier Hernandez (53).
But having scored 10 league goals in a little over half of this season, it’s not unreasonable to think Jota could be near the very top of the chart in little more than a year from now.
And he should be aided by one of the most creative players in the game. Alexander-Arnold’s assist rate for Jota is comfortably above his record for the Reds’ other main strikers.
They’ve linked up in some big matches too. As well as setting up two goals at Arsenal recently, the duo also combined at the Emirates last season and have done so against Atalanta, Atletico Madrid and Manchester United too.
Alexander-Arnold might have assisted a rare long-range goal for Jota last week, but he can help push the former Wolves man to become arguably Liverpool’s best penalty box player of modern times.
