Isak can beat Haaland and two Liverpool players show reason why

Isak notched his fourth goal in five top-flight games this season with the only strike in the win at Bournemouth on Sunday to continue Andoni Iraola's unbeaten start as Reds head coach.

The Sweden international is second only to Manchester City forward Haaland in the goalscorers list having already surpassed his Premier League tally for the whole of his injury-hampered debut season following his British record £125million transfer from Newcastle United last September.

And ex-Reds striker Dean Saunders - himself a former English record signing when moving to Liverpool in 1991 - is convinced Isak is showing the form that prompted such an expensive outlay.

"Isak is a contender to win the Golden Boot," he said. "By the way, if he was still at Newcastle, then Eddie Howe would still be there. If you lose your best strikers, you normally get sacked.

"I know it's a bit blunt, but if you look back on history, strikers get you out of trouble when you're not playing well. And against Bournemouth, Isak did it again.

"As long as you're keeping the ball out of your net, which Liverpool have managed to do considering they've got a new back four, while Isak’s on the pitch there’s always a chance for Liverpool to win the game.

"I can't look any further than Erling Haaland as Isak’s main competitor for the Golden Boot."

Saunders believes Isak will be key to Liverpool achieving their aims under Iraola. And he has claimed the goal against Bournemouth was evidence of how the Liverpool team are now set up to give the striker a greater chance of finding the target.

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"When the season kicked off, a lot of Liverpool's success was relying on him," he said. "If he's injured all the time or not banging goals in, Liverpool will have a bad season. If he does, it will be the opposite.

"The goal he scored at Bournemouth was quality if you watch it back again. Liverpool had three players in the box when Cody Gakpo crossed the ball. He did brilliantly for the goal, getting down the right before putting a cross in.

"(Florian) Wirtz distracts the first centre-back across the near post, while Bradley Barcola is at the back post with the full-back, which stops him getting involved with Isak. They had bodies in the six-yard box, you get goals like that as a striker.

"When you play for teams who don't get bodies in the box, you find it really difficult to score. But it wasn't just Isak's goal, it was that Wirtz got across the near post and Barcola was in the box."

Speaking to Sveacasino, Saunders added: "Isak tucked it away lovely. He's a good finisher, isn't he? It's whether he can stay fit, but there's no question about his goalscoring ability. Newcastle won't want to admit it because of the way he left, but they have missed him badly."

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