'I saw' - Jota responds to Shearer X-rated Reds outburst & makes Man City claim

'I saw' - Diogo Jota responds to Alan Shearer X-rated Liverpool outburst and makes Man City claim

Diogo Jota has spoken about the penalty decision against Newcastle United, what has changed at Liverpool, the impact of Darwin Nunez and what to expect in Premier League title race

Sparking an X-rated outburst from one of England's greatest-ever forwards would not have been on Diogo Jota's list of New Year resolutions.

But barely 24 hours into 2024, the Liverpool attacker had prompted filth and fury from former Newcastle United man Alan Shearer on social media after winning the penalty scored by Mohamed Salah that sealed a thrilling 4-2 Premier League triumph against the Magpies at Anfield.

No matter that, after the game, Newcastle goalkeeper Martin Dubravka admitted there was contact with Jota and it was a penalty. Nor that there seemed no reason otherwise for the Portuguese to hit the deck when an empty goal was gaping.

Debate instead rumbled for days with Jota being vilified for diving by a certain section of the game. The forward, though, merely shrugs his shoulders when asked about the somewhat curious outrage.

"Listen, of course I saw some comments from ex-players and people who are paid to talk about situations," says Jota. "The only thing I can say is even the keeper said it was a touch and I didn't feel the conditions to stay up. So that's it.

"Would I rather put the ball in the net than see Mo take a penalty? Yes, of course. That's what I like to do - to score goals. That's all I have to say."

Certainly, Jota has rediscovered his goalscoring touch having gone more than a year - admittedly, largely due to two length injury absences - without scoring before netting a brace at Leeds United last April. Since ending that barren run, only Mohamed Salah has bagged more for Liverpool than the 16 Jota has managed.

All the more impressive is that he has started only 17 games in the time, this season missing one match for what was later deemed an erroneous suspension and then out for seven games with a hamstring complaint. And when available, there has been competition from a strikeforce of Salah, Darwin Nunez, Cody Gakpo and Luis Diaz that has fired Liverpool clear at the top of the Premier League.

With Salah, currently on 18 goals for the season, on international duty at the Africa Cup of Nations and in any case now injured, the onus has been on the remaining quartet to deliver as Diaz and Gakpo have done in the last two games.

"Mo is a decisive player for us," says Jota. "He is always fit and always there and always assisting and scoring. We miss him, but we have the quality in our squad to share those goals that he would probably score by himself."

Jota's start in the League Cup semi-final first leg win over Fulham 10 days ago was his first since November, with Nunez having been benched for only the second time in seven games. And with eight goals and 10 assists in 30 appearances this season, the Uruguayan is proving his worth.

"This season it has been great for him," adds Jota. "Obviously in the last few games maybe he didn't score as often as he would have probably wanted, but we trust him. He has been decisive for the team, even in the games where he doesn't score. Maybe he isn't scoring as much as people probably want him to, but he has assists and that counts as well because we are a team and all we want is to win."

Liverpool return to action at in-form Bournemouth on Sunday afternoon after enjoying a mid-winter break, aiming to go five points clear at the summit. "I feel refreshed," says Jota. "It's always nice to have a few days away, especially at this time of year when it's very cold here!

"For me specifically, I don't think the break necessarily came at the right time because I was injured during December, but for the team in general it is a necessary break because of all the games we have been playing. We've basically been playing every three days which is a lot of games with a lot of intensity in those games.

"The human body needs this time to recover and then we go again. We know how it works - and it starts Sunday. Bournemouth are in really good form as well so we expect a tough game but hopefully we can play our game."

With wind gusts of up to 50mph expected during the match, it will be the second time in three months Liverpool will have played at the Vitality Stadium during a storm having won 2-1 in the League Cup in early November. And there's also a familiar feeling with how the title race is starting to shape up. Arsenal may have moved closer with a 5-0 thrashing of Crystal Palace on Saturday but Manchester City, with Kevin De Bruyne back and Erling Haaland on the way, are once again emerging as the Reds' main challengers.

"I hope we can be in the discussion until the end," says Jota of the title race. "We know how strong City are and how strong they can be in the second lap of the league. We just hope we can be part of the fight again, and hopefully we are above them in the end.

"But we know City are a very strong opponent and De Bruyne is a world-class player and one of the ones who can make a difference, like he did two years ago when we were in that discussion about the title until the last game. He was decisive in that game (against Aston Villa). But, look, we also have those kind of players and there is a long way to go until we reach those decisive moments, so we just have to focus on the next few months first to try to be there at the end.

"We have a lot of games and a lot of hard competitions but we want it to be like two years ago and not like last year when we didn't perform the way we wanted to. It's exciting times."

One of many low points last season was the 1-0 defeat at Bournemouth in March, a team they'd beaten 9-0 at Anfield earlier in the campaign and a game that came just six days after the historic 7-0 thumping of Manchester United. Since then, though, a summer overhaul and change of tactics has seen Liverpool lose just two of 32 Premier League games.

And Jota says: "We made a few new signings and had a fresh start this season. Last year wasn't the normal for Liverpool. This season it's a lot better and, as everyone is saying, we have a refreshed midfield that impacts a lot in the game. We are just having fun playing together. We are still adapting to each other and we will be even stronger hopefully in the second half of the season."