After playing a hand in Liverpool's opener against Brighton, Florian Wirtz fell victim to a brutal decision as his goal was awarded as an own goal to Pascal Gross instead
Florian Wirtz appeared to know almost instantly that the opener in Liverpool's win over Brighton was going to be awarded as an own goal, instead of a first strike of the league campaign for the German international.
The 23-year-old has stepped up in recent weeks to show more of the quality expected of him, playing a crucial part in an upturn in form across the Premier League and Champions League.
It all started with a clash against LASK, where Wirtz managed to pick up some momentum and confidence, with more time and space available against lower-ranked opposition. That then continued against ten-man Brentford, followed up by a positive display from the bench against Villarreal, as he picked up a first goal of the campaign.
Brighton offered another tricky test for the Reds, but space opened up quickly to be exploited, with the playmaker doing just that. He latched onto a loose ball and fired it at goal, which took a deflection off Pascal Gross and into the back of the net.
While he somewhat claimed the goal, putting one finger in the air, his rather sheepish reaction at the finish suggested he instantly knew the big deflection was key. That was the same reaction from his teammates, who walked over to celebrate with the star, without making too much fuss.
That may have indicated he instantly knew the strike wouldn't be awarded to him, and his post-match reaction said it all.
Speaking to Viaplay, he said: "I know now that it's not my goal but I think I was involved in the goal so it doesn't really matter if I scored it now or its an own goal.
He continued: "I think it was an important goal to bring the game on our side, so I'm really happy about that," as the star appeared to put side over self in that situation.
While it would have been easy to claim the goal anyway, Wirtz's attitude of putting the team first is exactly what Liverpool will want as he continues to push forward and show his qualities in the team.
There may be some, like Steven Gerrard, who want the star to be a bit more selfish. While that could result in more output and a drive to get better alongside the team, Iraola's style is all about a cohesive whole, and that is what Wirtz is currently part of.
Wirtz saw his goal taken off him in Liverpool's clash with Brighton(Image: (Photo by Jan Kruger/Getty Images))
"I'm delighted with Florian," said Iraola last week, giving his full backing to the star. "He's coming off three very good performances, and I trust this is the start of finding his confidence again. We believe him in a lot. He is judged a lot in terms of goals and assists, but he is a player for whom that won't be his strength.
"He's not a number 10 or a second striker who is going to score 15 goals this year, no. I mean if he can do that, even better. But he's a player who gives us a lot of control over the matches, he has a lot of confidence on the ball. Ultimately we have to make him feel comfortable but he's probably feeling more comfortable in Champions League matches.
"In the Premier League he has to get used to those duels, here duels are really hard to win. He's in that process, it's true he's been here a year but he's still acclimatizing to this competition. But in terms of talent I have no doubt about him and in terms of attitude either. He is a player who works a lot."
While the fee paid for the star will certainly point to people wanting pure output from him, Wirtz is clearly best at gluing things together for the team, both in and out of possession. Adding goals and assists will certainly help, but so long as he is doing his bit for Liverpool to win, then none of that will matter quite as much.
