WOLVERHAMPTON, England (Reuters) – Liverpool manager Juergen Klopp hailed Divock Origi as an “incredible finisher” after the forward came off the bench to score in stoppage time and earn a 1-0 win at Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday.
It was Origi’s 21st Premier League goal for Liverpool, almost half of them as a substitute, and Klopp said he was lucky to have a player capable of making such a late impact.
“He is an incredible finisher — if we don’t know it at Liverpool, who should know it then?” Klopp told reporters.
“We saw that so often. It’s difficult to get 500 minutes a week in this team because of the players we have. But Divock Origi is an incredible football player.
“He is great in these moments, he doesn’t need a lot of run-up or time to find into a game, and especially not in this game today. It was his game. Winning in the 95th minute is great, but when Div scores the goal it makes it even better, to be honest.”
Origi produced a clinical finish from Mohamed Salah’s pass to finally crack the Wolves defence and briefly send Liverpool top of the league before Manchester City replaced them later.
The 26-year-old Belgian striker has made a habit of scoring on big occasions, including in the Champions League final victory over Tottenham Hotspur in 2019.
But his lack of starts at Liverpool have led some to question whether he might move elsewhere.
“This team is outstanding and if you are our number 12, 13 or 14 you have to be outstanding — and Div is,” Klopp said.
“I am very happy that he is still here, actually. I didn’t expect it to happen (for Origi to leave), but I wouldn’t have been surprised.
“He came here very young and has scored some of the most important goals in the history of this club.”
Team mate Andy Robertson summed up the mood.
“I’ll take my grandkids to visit the Divock Origi statue one day. WHAT A MAN,” he wrote on Twitter.
(Reporting by Martyn Herman; editing by Clare Fallon)
