Alan Shearer heaps praise on 18-pass Liverpool star who ‘made a difference’ against Inter Milan | OneFootball

Alan Shearer proclaimed that one Liverpool player ‘made a difference’ in the 1-0 victory against Inter Milan on Tuesday night.

The Reds made light of their poor form in recent weeks and the drama over Mo Salah’s weekend outburst by putting in a composed, disciplined performance as they deservedly came away from the San Siro victorious for a fifth successive visit to the iconic venue.

Dominik Szoboszlai’s late penalty sealed the win, with the spot kick awarded after Alessandro Bastoni pulled the shirt of Florian Wirtz.

While both Andy Robertson and Jamie Carragher admitted that the referee’s decision may have been generous, the latter was also critical of the Italian defender for giving the officials an excuse to intervene.

Shearer praises difference-maker Wirtz

That was the German’s headline-grabbing contribution to Liverpool’s victory after coming off the bench midway through the second half, but Shearer felt that the 22-year-old was impactful throughout his time on the pitch last night.

Speaking on co-commentary for Amazon Prime Video Sport, the Newcastle legend said (via Anfield Index): “He has definitely made a difference, Wirtz, since coming on. He has been finding those little bits of space in front of that back five.”

(Photo by Molly Darlington/Getty Images)

Liverpool were far more threatening after Wirtz came on

Liverpool’s number 7 has come in for some scrutiny on these shores over his surprisingly low goals-and-assists output since his summer transfer from Bayer Leverkusen, but he’s more than passed the eye test in terms of the elegance of what he offers on the pitch.

Liverpool Echo reporter Ian Doyle echoed Shearer’s praise of Wirtz by writing that the German ‘instantly made a difference with his range of passing and intelligence on the ball’, handing him 8/10 in his post-match player ratings.

The Reds had been struggling to create much against a resolute Inter defence before the 22-year-old replaced Alexander Isak, but after that substitution they had six shots to the hosts’ one (WhoScored), which illustrates how the playmaker was able to penetrate the Nerazzurri backline.

As per Sofascore, Wirtz completed 100% of his dribbles and 86% of his passes (18/21), won two of his three duels and recorded one key pass. Of course, he also won the penalty from which Szoboszlai netted our winning goal.

All that’s missing for the Germany international is to make a more telling contribution in terms of goals and assists. Once he begins to do so, Liverpool will have one hell of a playmaker on their hands!

You can watch Slot’s full post-Inter Milan press conference below, via Empire of the Kop on YouTube: