It has gone a long way past mere influential games now... there is a case to be made that Luis Diaz has transformed Liverpool’s season.
His signing in January coincided with an upturn in form from Jurgen Klopp’s side that has blossomed into - and be assured, this is now a fundamental truth - one of the greatest runs in football history. Since he arrived, in reaching three finals and chasing the title they have dropped just two points in the Premier League, and lost a single game... against Inter when it barely mattered as they won the away leg in Milan to ease their Champions League progress.
Diaz was instrumental in that victory, after being introduced as a second-half substitute - yet that barely scratches the surface of his influence: sensational in the Carabao Cup Final; equally devastating at Wembley against the might of Manchester City in the FA Cup semi-final; the man-of-the-match list goes on. Lisbon and Benfica? Tick. Man United. Tick. The Mersey derby - from the bench - double tick. Same in Villarreal, where he was man of the match for just 45 minutes of sublime second-half action.
