Liverpool’s Alexis Mac Allister was the standout in Sunday’s Premier League clash against Brighton. Jamie Carragher named him as the ‘best player on the pitch’.
Liverpool have had plenty of options to choose from in terms of picking out the signing of the season, and Alexis Mac Allister made a strong case again this afternoon against Brighton. The 25-year-old was instrumental for the Reds, earning the praises of the commentary team.
Jamie Carragher named him as the ‘best player on the pitch’ after his first-half display in particular, in which Mac Allister was praised for his ‘instrumental’ performance.
The Argentina international was involved in all of Liverpool’s most promising pieces of play and demonstrated his passing range when looking to pick out intelligent runs by Mohamed Salah. He came close to picking up an assist in the opening 45, before eventually doing so after the hour-mark with an incisive pass before Salah’s goal to put the Reds 2-1 up.
Mac Allister often made the right decision when to go forward, finding Darwin Núñez in the second half before a big chance from Salah, and he was also praised for his work in between transitions, where he was always in the right place to help defend against counter-attacks. That saw him booked harshly for a foul on Brighton’s Simon Adingra when covering for Conor Bradley down the right flank.
Mac Allister’s assist in the second half came moments before he was described as being at the “hub of everything” by Rob Hawthorne.
Speaking about Liverpool’s second goal, Jamie Carragher on co-comms said: “Again, this is all down to Mac Allister, who has been the best player on the pitch by a mile. When the game’s been frantic, he’s been the man with the cool head.”
Mac Allister would get more praise after the game, this time from Roy Keane, with the former Manchester United captain commenting: “He is a smart footballer, I’ll tell you that — I’m usually impressed with him and his decision making.
“And again, like anything else when you just speed things up in the final third. He gets it here, the execution, the weight of the pass, the first touch from Salah — beautiful. Sexy football to me, this, love watching it.”
The victory over Brighton put Liverpool top of the Premier League table before Arsenal and Manchester City played in the later kick-off, in which Pep Guardiola had already started his mind games. It was also a win against one of Liverpool’s potential managerial candidates Roberto De Zerbi, whose odds increased after Xabi Alonso ruled himself out of a move this summer.
Liverpool.com says: We’ve got to see the best of Mac Allister since Wataru Endō has been able to establish himself in the number six position, and Jürgen Klopp might have found another world-class talent.
That term can be thrown around a lot in the modern game, but Mac Allister’s latest performances are setting him apart from the rest at the moment during a spell in which he has had a significant influence on results.
