Diogo Jota reveals how Cristiano Ronaldo helped end goal drought
By Sean Walsh
Liverpool forward Diogo Jota has admitted an analogy told by Portugal teammate Cristiano Ronaldo helped him end his long goal drought.
Jota had not scored in the Premier League since April 2022 before he netted a brace in Monday's 6-1 hammering of Leeds United at Elland Road.
The former Wolves star has had to contend with various muscle injuries this season, while Liverpool have recruited Cody Gakpo and Darwin Nunez for big fees to help with their rebuild.
With the Reds underperforming in all competitions across a near-disastrous 2022/23 campaign, Jota admitted he has kept an old adage told by Ronaldo in mind.
The Al Nassr forward once claimed that scoring goals is 'opening a ketchup bottle' in that 'when the first drop comes out, everything comes out'.
Jota told Sky Sports that this was in the forefront of his thinking following the Leeds win.
"That's one of the sentences Ronaldo said and it really stuck in my mind all these years," he said.
"I think football is unpredictable, and these are the things we like in this football game. Things can change very quick."
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Monday's win saw Liverpool end a run of five games without a victory, and they now sit nine points off the top four.
Jota was asked whether the Reds believe they can now mount a serious challenge to return to the Champions League, replying: "Yes and no.
"We have great results this season, great score lines - 7-0, 9-0. So we have these results before but we just need to stick with our feet on the ground because the next one is a completely different game."