(Video) Florian Wirtz did something ‘absolutely fabulous’ immediately after coming on v Chelsea | OneFootball

Florian Wirtz was conspicuous by his absence from the Liverpool starting XI against Chelsea on Saturday, but he caught the eye within a minute of coming off the bench.

The £116m summer signing has faced criticism from the likes of Jamie Carragher after going eight matches without a goal or assist since the Community Shield in August, and he was omitted from the line-up at Stamford Bridge in favour of Dominik Szoboszlai.

However, with the Reds trailing at half-time and the already booked Conor Bradley running the risk of a second yellow card, Arne Slot took action by substituting the Northern Ireland defender and bringing on the Germany playmaker.

Wirtz produces ‘fabulous’ flick to Salah

Liverpool sprung an attack from the restart to commence the second half, and it culminated with Cody Gakpo playing a pass to Wirtz, who delightfully flicked on the ball with a backheel to Mo Salah, but the Egyptian’s right-footed shot flew wide of Robert Sanchez’s goal.

Gary Neville on Sky Sports gushed: “What a first touch it is from Wirtz. That would’ve been an unbelievable start. “What a flick”; while BBC Radio 5 Live pundit Pat Nevin exclaimed: “The touch by Wirtz is absolutely fabulous.”

Image via @SAULLIII on X

A moment of genius from Wirtz!

It would’ve been a dent to the 22-year-old’s pride to be dropped to the bench for such a big game, and after the difficult first half that Bradley endured, it was no great surprise to see him being summoned by Slot at the interval.

Had Salah managed to crash the ball past Sanchez and equalise, Wirtz would’ve broken his barren streak without a goal contribution in the most sumptuous style, but the German definitely had a positive impact on a much-improved performance from Liverpool after half-time.

Few players in world football, let alone the Premier League, are capable of producing moments of such individual brilliance, and that audacious flick from our number 7 signalled why LFC spent so much money to sign him.

Let’s hope he can soon make a telling impact on the scoreboard soon and quieten the critics!

You can view Wirtz’s flick towards Salah below, via @SAULLIII on X: