'Better than Torres, Suarez, even Salah' Jamie Carragher pays ultimate compliment to Liverpool show-stopper

Liverpool banked another important Premier League win on Sunday when they thumped Bournemouth 4-0 at the Vitality Stadium to go five points clear at the top of the table.

Darwin Núñez and Diogo Jota were the stars of the show as they split the goalscoring action between them but the latter is the man who has raked in the serious praise. Jota bagged himself a brace and an assist against the Cherries to take his overall tally this season to 11 goals and four assists in 22 appearances across all competitions.

Mohamed Salah is currently away with Egypt at the Africa Cup of Nations but when he's back in the Liverpool squad, Jota is more often than not in competition with Luis Díaz for the starting place at left-wing.

However, the Portugal international has operated as a centre-forward in his last three league appearances and has contributed three goals and three assists in that time. His performance against Bournemouth lit up the Vitality Stadium and earned him perhaps the biggest compliment possible from Reds legend Jamie Carragher.

Speaking during Sky Sports' post-match analysis, the ex-defender compared Jota to some of Liverpool's most iconic goal-scorers and admitted he believes the 27-year-old is in the same bracket, if not higher when it comes to finding the back of the net. "I think of some of the strikers I've played alongside — Michael Owen, Luis Suarez, Fernando Torres, Robbie Fowler... I think he’s the best finisher," Carragher said.

"When he gets a chance, he’s so clinical. This season, a goal or assist every 84 minutes, there’s only two or three players in the Premier League who are higher than that.

"Finishing-wise, I think he’s as good, if not better than Torres, Suarez, even Salah finishing-wise, and maybe the one who can really compete with him is probably Robbie Fowler in the early days of the Premier League and those types of finishes. He’s absolutely out of this world." Carragher also suggested that Liverpool may have taken into account Jota's 'underlying numbers' in the lead up to his move from Wolves back in 2020, and described his £41 million price tag as 'a steal'.

Before the Reds play their next Premier League match, they must shift their attention to the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup, where they will take on Fulham and Norwich City respectively.