Roberto Firmino may be the most imaginative player in the Premier League

In the seventh minute against Liverpool, Jetro Willems scored his first goal for Newcastle United with a wonderful rocket. His shot from just inside the left side of the box took his defender, fans, and Liverpool by surprise, turning what should have been an easy victory for Liverpool into a difficult endeavor.

Even with Mo Salah, Divock Origi, and Sadio Mané, Liverpool had a difficult time creating any good chances against Newcastle, who were defending deeply. Steve McManaman, one of the commentators for the English broadcast of the game, mused in the 17th minute that, “It’s really noticeable when Firmino is not there. Certainly in tight games like this.”

In the 28th minute, Mané responded to Willems with a wonderstrike of his own, but then in a bittersweet twist of fate, Origi went down and had to be substituted in the 36th minute. Roberto Firmino came on and proved exactly why his absence was so palpable.

Less than 10 minutes after his introduction, Firmino created Liverpool’s second goal.

After Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain took a heavy touch in midfield, Newcastle won the ball, and Christian Atsu tried to engineer a counter-attack. But before Atsu could turn upfield, he was hounded by a combination of Joël Matip and Firmino, who had dropped down into midfield. Firmino’s first touch of the game won the ball from Atsu. He then quickly played a through ball down the middle, where Mané was making a run behind the Newcastle defense, taking advantage of the space Firmino had vacated and the confused central defenders who couldn’t find anyone to mark.

With only two touches, Firmino showed off the dimensions that makes him such an incredible player. Mané scored the second goal to put Liverpool up for good (and admittedly, got lucky that Martin Dubravka made a mess of the save).

Firmino is a hard worker. During a game, he can often be seen chasing the ball all the way back to his own box, and running at defenders to force them to play into dead ends. He sometimes looks more like a box-to-box midfielder than a forward.

Industriousness is often a compliment reserved for players who aren’t talented beyond their engine, but Firmino also has an elite striker ability to score goals. A third factor makes him truly special: his imagination. Winning the ball back from Atsu was great, but where Firmino stands out is his ability to play the pass afterwards.

Darren Fletcher, the co-commentator for the game, praised Firmino for exactly that ability after the goal:

“We talked about the impact Firmino is likely to have coming off the bench, but of course he’s done something there that you wouldn’t see Divock Origi do — that little ball he threaded through to Sadio Mané’s second goal. Perfectly weighted.”

Many players in world football have the skill to do everything Firmino does, but they lack the same imagination and courage. The little things he does often show up in the flicks that open space for his teammates. He’s in the rare category of strikers who are also their team’s playmaker.

As well as defensive support for the midfielders, Firmino also provides proper support for Mané and Salah. Before he came on the field, Liverpool’s attacks were largely direct and pragmatic. They tried several times to create with Trent Alexander-Arnold by sending long balls into the box. Then Firmino came on and opened up a realm of possibilities. His presence allows Liverpool to be more intricate and breathtaking.

As seen during Mané’s second goal, when Firmino drops down to midfield, his two forward colleagues can use their speed to take advantage of the empty space, knowing Firmino can play the necessary pass.

He also gives the two, especially Salah, someone to play one-twos with. In the 49th minute, Salah got the ball from Alexander-Arnold on the sideline, and after turning to the outside, he came back in and played the ball to Firmino, who had run out to support him. Firmino returned the ball to Salah, and a backheel from Salah almost found Chamberlain in the box, had it not been for an outstretched defender.

Soon after, in a wonderful sequence, Firmino scooped the ball over a defender to send Andrew Robertson in on goal:

The play of the game came in the 71st minute when Firmino and Salah combined yet again. This time, Salah played a ball to Firmino under pressure and made a run to his left. Firmino was surrounded by two defenders, and it seemed he had no choice but to touch the ball backwards, away from goal and out of pressure.

Instead, he stopped the ball with the bottom of his right foot, pulled it back with the same foot, and then flicked it between the two defenders and into the path of the streaking Salah. Salah took a few touches to get into the box, then slotted the ball into the bottom right corner for Liverpool’s third goal.

Firmino then had an even better flick — in my opinion — towards the end of the game, even though it didn’t result in a goal.

Firmino combines tenacity with the old Brazilian tenets of creativity and imagination. He’s ruthless and disciplined and exemplifies the team’s pressing strategy, but he can entertain at the same time. He sees ways past a defense that many elite players do not, and he has the audaciousness to try the flicks, passes, and dribbles necessary to create those paths.

Firmino breathes new life into how the game is played and seen. The world he sees is not the same as that of most fans and players, and when he’s about to receive the ball, he makes you think of the possibilities of what he can do. So often, he does something beyond those possibilities. He finds another way, and it’s delightful. Suddenly, you realize that you don’t understand the game as well as you think.