Jurgen Klopp reveals Liverpool medical staff advised him against playing Diogo Jota against Burnley - with Portuguese going on to net deciding goal at Turf Moor

Jota had been out of action for Liverpool since he sustained an injury in their match against Manchester City on November 25. After over a month on the sidelines, he made his return when he came off the bench in the final six minutes and scored to secure a 2-0 win for the Reds.

"We sneaked him in somehow on the squad list because he trained only twice and the medical department wanted to give him extra training and I said he can have that in Burnley," Klopp said at a press conference. "He had that tonight and now he can train tomorrow properly and then he will be ready for Newcastle, which is really helpful. Two-nil, no injuries, all good."

He added: "I love Diogo Jota but he missed chances in the past as well. He had some fortune like that. It’s the nature of the thing that we always ask for, always the players who are not involved and then all of a sudden they think they can change the world. Diogo is an incredibly important player for us. Having him changed the whole dynamic, that’s true, but before in his life he missed some chances."

Jota's return adds some much-needed fire power to the Reds, who have had a tough time getting their front three to score in recent weeks. They drew important matches against Manchester United and Arsenal before returning to winning ways thanks to Darwin Nunez and Jota on Saturday.

Mohamed Salah was the only forward to score in Liverpool's previous five matches in the Premier League before Nunez struck in the Boxing Day match at Turf Moor, with their other goals in those games coming from midfielders and defenders.

Klopp's team are top of the table after their latest win and have played their last game of 2023. They kick off 2024 with a game at home to Newcastle on January 1. The Magpies have lost their last two matches, having been beaten by Chelsea and Nottingham Forest in the last week.