'Best of the lot': Steve Nicol says there was a Liverpool player even better than Woodman vs Crystal Palace
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Steve Nicol has hailed Andy Robertson’s performance after seeing the Scotland captain score for Liverpool against Crystal Palace.The left-back surprisingly found himself in a position to put the Reds 2-0 up five minutes before half-time, sweeping home an excellent counter-attack after a stunning Freddie Woodman save.Woodman was widely seen as being Liverpool’s best player during a good afternoon at Anfield, but according to Nicol, Robertson‘s display was even better. Who was the best performer in a nervy win against Crystal Palace? 👀 Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images Nicol delighted for Robertson after Palace strikeIt was a slight surprise to see Arne Slot name Robertson as his left-back for consecutive matches on Saturday, especially given the lack of a need for rotation as the run-in continues.But having picked the 32-year-old, he was rewarded with an excellent display, and Nicol was left delighted at seeing his countryman score.“Woodman made three great saves and Liverpool, their opportunities when they came along, they took them,” the pundit said on ESPN.
“The best of the lot was Andy Robertson. Woodman actually made a fantastic save, Liverpool broke from that save, Andy Robertson, streaking through the middle of the park to make it 2-0, great little ball from Curtis Jones, then first time, left foot, bottom corner across the goalkeeper which made it 2-0 and really changed the game.”Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty ImagesREAD MORE: Andy Robertson could still be at Liverpool next season after intriguing Arne Slot commentsRobertson was a predictably popular goalscorer at Anfield, and Nicol admitted that he couldn’t keep the smile from his face either.“It’s always nice when you see somebody in his position, leaving the club and they’ve been so good for the club and the team, to get a goal at home,” he said.
When you’re away you’ve got a little section of the crowd who are behind you and you enjoy it, but when you do it at home it’s just different, it’s just a little bit more special.“It would be nice if he could do it on the last day of the season, but he’ll take that with four games to go.” What did you make of Daniel Munoz’s controversial goal against Liverpool on Saturday? Though Robertson is coming to the end of his Liverpool career, his selection should not be seen as a sympathy vote from Slot.They may have put themselves into a good position with four games left to play, but Champions League qualification is still on the line, and the Reds need to put their best foot forward in every match.With big games still to come away at Manchester United and Aston Villa and at home to Chelsea and Brentford, Slot will be aiming to pick his best team as often as possible.It will be fascinating to see whether Robertson is a part of that after snatching back the first-choice position from Milos Kerkez.Given the high stakes of the United match next Sunday, it would not be a surprise to see the veteran Scot go again at Old Trafford.