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Alexander Isak is finally finding his feet at Anfield, and Liverpool are starting to benefit from his goalscoring magic.
That was proven once again over the weekend when Liverpool beat Brighton 2-0, with Isak doubling his side’s lead and taking his Premier League tally to six goals from seven matches.
It impressed Dean Ashton so much that he told talkSPORT that Isak is ‘the best finisher’ in the Premier League.
That’s some praise for the Swedish star, especially with a player of Erling Haaland’s goalscoring power in England’s top-flight.
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Steven Gerrard is starting to like Liverpool’s attack, and now ex-Premier League striker Ashton has dropped his pennies’ worth.
After the Reds’ showing against Brighton, he explained that the likes of Isak, Bradley Barcola, the much-criticised Florian Wirtz and Cody Gakpo ‘whet the appetite’ because of what they bring to the table.
That’s when Ashton proceeded to give his flowers to Isak, and he explained what the Liverpool hitman does to be the best of them all in the Premier League.
“As soon as I saw the line-up and the front four, it kind of whets the appetite as to what could be for Liverpool,” said Ashton.
“Isak, for me, is the best finisher in the Premier League when he is fit. He is easily the calmest in front of goal. He really understands what finish is required in every moment.
“If you start to get the flair of Barcola, and the speed and inventiveness of Wirtz, and industry and guile of Gakpo on the other side. I mean, that is so exciting for Liverpool fans. It has to be. It excites me.”
When Manchester City fans aren’t busy waving their stupid bananas after being found caught cheating by the Premier League, you just know they and other rival fans would have an issue with Isak being dubbed ‘the best finisher.’
Even though Man City are cheats, and hopefully they will get their due rewards and sent down the English pyramid sooner rather than later, you can’t deny that Haaland is an absolute machine.
From eight Premier League matches this term, Haaland has nine goals to his name, including scoring in seven games in a row.
| Player | Premier League games | Starts | Goals | Total minutes |
| Haaland | 8 | 8 | 9 | 710 |
| Isak | 7 | 7 | 6 | 571 |
When it comes to variety of goals, Haaland and Isak are providing a mixed bag, including the former Newcastle United man finding the back of the net with his left foot on four occasions this term.
But Isak is yet to score a headed goal, whereas Haaland has four to his name, including at the weekend when Manchester City were beaten for the first time this season at the hands of Aston Villa.
| Player | Right-footed goal | Left-footed goal | Headed goal | Goals from Inside the box | Goals from Outside the box |
| Haaland | 1 | 4 | 4 | 9 | 0 |
| Isak | 2 | 4 | 0 | 6 | 0 |
When it comes to scoring frequency, Haaland is finding the back of the net at a quicker rate than Isak, but their conversion rate is the same at 30%.
| Player | Total shots per game | Goals per minute | Conversion rate |
| Haaland | 3.9 | 79 | 30% |
| Isak | 2.9 | 95 | 30% |
Even though Isak is below Haaland when it comes to goals per minute, the Liverpool man’s record is still very, very impressive.
If he keeps that up and stays fit, there is no reason why he can’t easily score 20+ Premier League goals this season, and already, you will have Mohamed Salah’s goals replaced.
| Player | Big chances missed |
| Haaland | 5 |
| Isak | 3 |
The players around the duo are also important. If Wirtz continues to improve and Barcola goes to the next level, then Isak will have plenty of service to eat up.
But it will also be interesting to see what happens with Haaland. The creativity is there a plenty on his side, but if the Premier League deduct points from Man City, it wouldn’t be a surprise if they mentally fade and collapse during the second half of the campaign.