Thiago Alcantara outpasses EVERY Chelsea player in just 45 minutes of his Liverpool debut as Jurgen Klopp’s men surge to a 2-0 win at Stamford Bridge
- Thiago Alcantara made his Liverpool debut in the Reds’ 2-0 win at Chelsea
- He started on the bench but came on due to Jordan Henderson’s injury
- The Spaniard made more passes than every Chelsea player on the pitch
- He broke the league record for the most passes in a single game by a substitute
New Liverpool signing Thiago Alcantara made more passes than every Chelsea player on his Premier League debut – despite only playing 45 minutes.
The Spanish midfielder was a half-time substitute for injured captain Jordan Henderson and was on the pitch as two Sadio Mane goals gave Jurgen Klopp‘s side the win over the 10-man Blues.
The 29-year-old is widely regarded as one of the best midfielders in the world and specialises in progressing the ball from deep with accurate and simple passes.
Thiago Alcantara made more passes than any Chelsea star even though he played 45 minutes
And according to Opta, Thiago made 75 passes in the second-half, which not only outpassed Chelsea’s players but is also the most passes by a player who played 45 minutes or fewer since passing data was recorded.
Thiago joined the Premier League champions earlier this week and reportedly only had one training session before the Stamford Bridge showdown.
The Spaniard moved from European champions Bayern Munich for a £25million fee having won the last seven Bundesliga titles with the German giants and played in the last month’s Champions League final win over Paris Saint-Germain.
The Spanish midfielder made his Liverpool debut in the Reds’ 2-0 win over Chelsea on Sunday
The midfielder broke the Premier League record for the most passes by a substitute
Thiago started the Chelsea match on the substitutes’ bench but was forced onto the field after Henderson felt a ‘tight thigh’ during the opening period.
The midfielder’s debut was aided by Andreas Christensen’s red card just before half-time with the Blues defender pulling down Sadio Mane when played through on goal by Henderson.
The Danish defender was initially showed a yellow card by Paul Tierney but the decision was reversed after a Video Assistant Referee (VAR) check.
Mane then gave Klopp’s side the lead just after half-time with a superb header from Roberto Firmino’s cross.
The Liverpool winger then doubled the advantage after he picked up on Kepa Arrizabalaga’s slack pass to tap into an empty net.