Liverpool’s Divock Origi has to wait for his moments, but when given a chance he is often the difference maker, as he showed again by coming off the bench to inspire his side to victory over Everton on Sunday.
Telling contributions in fleeting appearances have been Origi’s forte throughout his time at Liverpool.
His 95th-minute winner against Everton in 2018 had coach Juergen Klopp sprinting across the pitch in celebration, while he scored a game-clinching second in the 2019 UEFA Champions League final, as well as a double in Liverpool’s famous 4-0 win over Barcelona that season.
Photo: EPA-EFE
He has saved his best for Liverpool’s bitter rivals Everton, with his late header after coming off the bench at Anfield on Sunday putting the seal on his team’s 2-0 win in a hard-fought Merseyside derby.
It was the 27-year-old’s sixth career goal against Everton, at least twice as many as he has managed against any other opponent in his Liverpool career, while he has now scored 11 goals as a substitute in the Premier League, the outright most by a Liverpool player.
“We are happy with the impact [from substitutes] all season,” Klopp said. “They come on with the right mindset when they come on. Luis [Diaz] and Divock were involved in the goals and that helps in tight football games.”
“We did not show up there in the first half. We had a lot of possession, the most of a Premier League game for us [more than 86 percent], but we changed things in the second half,” Klopp said. “He [Origi] is a legend on and off the pitch — a fantastic footballer, a world-class striker and is our best finisher. Everyone would say the same. You see this in training. It is a really hard decision to make to leave him out. Everyone loves Divock here.”
A sumo star was born in Japan on Sunday when 24-year-old Takerufuji became the first wrestler in 110 years to win a top-division tournament on his debut, triumphing at the 15-day Spring Grand Sumo Tournament in Osaka despite injuring his ankle on the penultimate day. Takerufuji, whose injury had left him in a wheelchair outside the ring, shoved out the higher-ranked Gonoyama at the Edion Arena Osaka to the delight of the crowd, giving him an unassailable record of 13 wins and two losses to claim the Emperor’s Cup. “I did it just through willpower. I didn’t really know what was going
The US’ Ilia Malinin on Saturday produced six scintillating quadruple jumps, including a quadruple Axel, in the men’s free skate to capture his first figure skating world title. The 19-year-old nicknamed the “Quad god,” who is the only skater to land a quadruple Axel in competition, dazzled with an array of breathtakingly executed jumps starting with his quad Axel and including a quadruple Lutz in combination with a triple flip and a quadruple toe loop in combination with a triple toe. He added an unexpected triple-triple combination at the end to earn a world-record 227.79 in the free program for a championship
Shohei Ohtani’s interpreter is being criminally investigated by the IRS, and the attorney for his alleged bookmaker said Thursday that the ex-Los Angeles Dodgers employee placed bets on international soccer — but not baseball. The IRS confirmed Thursday that interpreter Ippei Mizuhara and Mathew Bowyer, the alleged illegal bookmaker, are under criminal investigation through the agency’s Los Angeles Field Office. IRS Criminal Investigation spokesperson Scott Villiard said he could not provide additional details. Mizuhara, 39, was fired by the Dodgers on Wednesday following reports from the Los Angeles Times and ESPN about his alleged ties to an illegal bookmaker and debts well
MLB on Friday announced a formal investigation into the scandal swirling around Shohei Ohtani and his former interpreter amid charges that the Los Angeles Dodgers superstar was the victim of “massive theft.” The Dodgers on Wednesday fired Ippei Mizuhara, Ohtani’s long-time interpreter and close friend, after Ohtani’s representatives alleged that the Japanese two-way star had been the victim of theft, which was reported to involve millions of dollars and link Mizuhara to a suspected illegal bookmaker in California. “Major League Baseball has been gathering information since we learned about the allegations involving Shohei Ohtani and Ippei Mizuhara from the news media,” MLB