It has taken a little while for Naby Keita to cement himself in Liverpool’s first team after arriving from RB Leipzig – but there was a moment against Bournemouth which proved beyond doubt he’s found his feet.
When the Guinea midfielder completed his protracted move over the summer, many expected him to go straight into the first team and start almost every game from the get-go, but injury issues have seen him eased in.
Naby Keita with a double nutmeg ?? pic.twitter.com/L19TUynkwS
— . (@VintageSalah) December 8, 2018
Now, with Liverpool top of the league and a relatively fresh midfielder bolstering their ranks going into the busy Christmas period, they’ll surely be grateful to have looked after him, and a classy double nutmeg in the win over Bournemouth will give Jürgen Klopp hope that the 23-year-old can embarrass more opponents in the coming weeks.
It won’t take long for opponents to figure out what Keita is all about, but for now he is in that sweet spot where he can make mincemeat of them simply because they don’t have the level of anticipation that comes with familiarity.
Naby Keita…”hold my beer…” #nutmeg pic.twitter.com/bgzaECEFmF
— Nigel Malone (@Northeastred) December 8, 2018
The victory over Bournemouth might have mostly been about Mohamed Salah’s hat-trick and one of the better team performances of the campaign, but there’s no need for us to overlook the double-nutmeg which put the gloss on it all.
Beating a team by four goals to nil on their own patch might be one way to embarrass them, but everyone has their own methods and in Keita’s case that’s a double nutmeg.
Hold up, I finished that sentence too early. A double nutmeg in the opening five minutes of the game.