Jota hungry to nail down Liverpool place after return from injury

Diogo Jota is keen to make up for lost time after his injury frustration and the Liverpool forward is determined to establish himself as a key man up front.

The Portugal international made his first start since May in the 2-1 Champions League victory over Ajax after returning from a hamstring injury initially sustained on international duty in June but aggravated in pre-season.

He has scored 34 goals in 88 appearances having found himself deployed across the front three at times.

Luis Diaz's arrival in January saw him get more game time through the middle but Darwin Nunez’s signing for a potential club-record fee means Jota faces competition in his two strongest positions and missing the first six matches of the season did not help.

However, he was picked ahead of Nunez and Roberto Firmino for the central role against the Dutch side and made a difference for the 66 minutes he was on the pitch, setting up Mo Salah's opener.

"I couldn’t get things right in pre-season but that’s part of the past," he said.

"Football is always a challenge between us to play in the games, to face different challenges as well.

"That’s life and football, and as players you need to respond to that and survive that challenge every day.

"There is always room for improvement. I want to establish myself here as an important player and I can only do that if I am fit."

Liverpool go route 1 and Mo Salah is at the end of it to score his first #UCL goal in seven games