When Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain eventually left the Anfield pitch amid the euphoria of one of the most improbable wins of even Jurgen Klopp’s reign, he was hugged by a former Arsenal midfielder who is known for a spectacular goal.
It felt fitting. Ray Parlour’s long-range cracker in the 2003 FA Cup final is proof that the workhorses can produce something special. A week after a deftly brilliant, outside-of-the-boot effort against Genk, Oxlade-Chamberlain conjured a second superb goal in as many appearances.
Divock Origi, who drew level a Carabao Cup tie Liverpool eventually won on penalties level at 5-5 with a brilliant bicycle kick, nominated Oxlade-Chamberlain’s thunderbolt as the best of the game’s 10.
"At the minute, they are not tap-ins, let's put it that way,” the Englishman said. It was so good that he had to fight his natural instincts in his determination to thank his former club.
“I always want to show a lot of respect for Arsenal and what they did for me and the times I had there,” said a man who played 198 times for the Gunners.
“I didn't want to celebrate but it was a tough one to hold in. I wanted to take my shirt off and go mad. It was nice to get one. I have been given a license to shoot from outside the box and the last few games I've managed to do that.”
And yet, if Wednesday’s goalfest was an unlikely addition to the list of Anfield’s great games and Oxlade-Chamberlain is in stellar scoring form, he was otherwise self-critical.
“Quality-wise, I am not too happy with my performance, to be honest,” he said. “I wasn't great on the ball and not near my own personal level of where I want to be. There were a lot of mistakes we got punished for: I think I made a mistake for one of the goals.”
He took some solace in his industry. “I put in a good shift and ran a lot and tried to get my legs going a bit more,” he said.
This still constitutes part of his comeback. It is 19 months since he ruptured his cruciate ligament against Roma, in effect costing him the chance of appearing in two Champions League finals and a World Cup.
He was limited to 19 minutes of football last season and two Premier League starts so far this and has not completed 90 minutes since returning. This was his first Anfield goal since he struck in a dynamic display against Manchester City in the 2018 Champions League quarter-final.
In his absence, however, the midfield has been remodelled with Fabinho being bought and becoming pivotal and Jordan Henderson being reinvented as a No 8. Along with Gini Wijnaldum, they overpowered Tottenham on Sunday in an awesome display of intensity.
“You have got to be at a really high physical level to go and put in a performance like that,” Oxlade-Chamberlain said. “Hendo, Gini and Fab did really well at the weekend so I need to keep pushing myself whenever I get a chance.”
What Oxlade-Chamberlain can bring is a different dimension. Henderson, Wijnaldum and Fabinho only have two goals between them this season. He has three in two games and with Naby Keita, the other who promised to more potency, going off injured on Wednesday, is the logical candidate to add a finishing touch.
Yet when Fabinho, Keita and Oxlade-Chamberlain formed the central trio against Genk, Klopp reflected the Brazilian “played as pretty much the only midfielder in some moments.”
The challenge for Oxlade-Chamberlain is to ally that capacity to bring goals with the solidity and quality Henderson and Wijnaldum offer.
