Thiago Alcantara produced a classy performance during Liverpool's FA Community Shield clash against Manchester City on Saturday.
Thanks to goals from Trent Alexander Arnold, Mohamed Salah and Darwin Nunez, Liverpool lifted the Community Shield for the first time since 2006 after a 3-1 victory over City.
After the game, Liverpool fans were in joyous mood as the team got their season off to the perfect start.
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Nunez may have made the headlines after his impressive performance but it was Thiago who really stole the show after a commanding display in midfield.
Fans were quick to post his highlights from the game and Thiago’s class was visible throughout.
He had a passing accuracy of 95% which is the highest of any player, 100% success rate in dribbles and long balls and also recovered the ball for his team five times.
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Fans took to social media as they purred over the midfielder’s stunning performance.
One fan said: “You could watch Thiago Alcantara play football on repeat and never get bored.”
Another tweeted: “Thiago Alcantara. What a footballer.”
And a third added: “Thiago Alcantara is class man, unreal composure on the ball. Already an impressive career but honestly think he’d be even better without his injury record.”
The Spaniard joined Jurgen Klopp’s side from Bayern Munich in the summer of 2020 in a deal worth up to £25 million. The expectations on Thiago were high as he was labelled as the man to finally help Liverpool unlock teams that defend deep.
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His first season turned out to be a disappointment as he struggled to adapt to the pace of the Premier League. He was also hampered by a knee injury after a horror tackle from Richarlison during his first taste of the Merseyside derby in October 2020.
In the 21/22 season, he truly showed what he is capable of as he established himself as a regular starter in Klopp’s team.
The 31-year-old won his first trophies as a Liverpool player last season, winning the FA Cup and the Carabao Cup, he was due to start the Carabao Cup final but was injured in the warm up. In the FA Cup final shoot out, he scored his penalty with a brilliant 'paneka'.
Liverpool will now kick off their Premier League campaign on August 6 when they travel to Craven Cottage to face newly promoted side, Fulham. After losing out on the title by one point last season, Thiago and his team mates will look to go one better and snatch the title away from City.
Topics: Liverpool, Thiago Alcantara, Manchester City, Community Shield