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Liverpool striker Diogo Jota has reacted after his side drew Manchester City in the semi-finals of the FA Cup. The Reds overcame Nottingham Forest in the last round on Sunday with the Portuguese ace himself scoring the winner.
Jota latched onto a perfectly-weighted cross from Kostas Tsimikas to fire home in the 78th minute which was enough to see his side through. His goal came moments after Forest saw a glorious chance go astray from a woeful Philip Zinckernagel miss.
Jurgen Klopp had fielded a highly-weakened side for the clash at the City Ground, giving many of his first-team stars some much-needed rest. The change nearly backfired. However, thanks to Jota, the Reds are now into the last four of the competition, where they will take on Pep Guardiola's swashbuckling side.
After being informed of the draw, Jota told ITV:
"I didn't know. OK, it's another tough game. One more. There are still a lot of games before then."
Liverpool and City are now set to face each other twice in as many weeks, with a Premier League clash at the Etihad also coming up on April 10. It will be followed by their cup encounter at the same venue six days later.
The two sides are competing fiercely for the league crown too, with only one point separating them at the top of the table. After clinching the Carabao Cup, Liverpool are looking to get their hands on another domestic title.
Both teams are also still in the Champions League, with City drawing Atletico Madrid in the quarter-finals and Liverpool being paired up with Benfica. These clashes come on either side of their two domestic encounters, making it a crucial make-or-break period for both.
Liverpool striker shares thoughts on Nottingham win
Liverpool huffed and puffed but eventually got the better of Nottingham and Jota admitted it was a tough game indeed. In the post-match interview with ITV, Jota said:
"It was obviously a tough game. They [Forest] are a great team and play with lots of intensity and they gave us proper fight."
Jota's strike was checked by VAR for offside but replays showed Forest defender Tobias Figuereido playing him onside, allowing the goal to stand. While also pointing to Zinckernagel's miss, Jota added:
"Yeah, I thought it was tight. They had one big, big chance. They gave us a proper challenge and their fans were outstanding. But we are in the semi-finals."
