Romelu Lukaku has seven goals in seven Premier League games this season, a very impressive return. But don’t bank on him finding the net at Anfield today.

The Belgian started out at Chelsea on his journey in English top-flight football, before enjoying loan spells at West Brom and Everton.

Following a successful spell at Goodison, the 24-year-old made the move permanent. He remained on Merseyside for three years, before moving to Manchester United in the summer for £75 million.

Lukaku ended last season with 24 league goals with the Toffees, making him the second highest scorer behind Harry Kane. The campaign prior to this, he bagged 18.

He has swiftly become one of the league’s finest players, which prompted United to splash the cash on the forward.

Despite only being 24 years old, he is already ranked 32nd in the Premier League top scorers list of all time. If he carries on this season in the same manner in which he’s started, you’d expect him to hit the 25-30 goal bracket. If he bags 30 goals, that would send him sky rocketing up the list of top scorers in history to 17th.

However, despite proving to be a goal machine, he has struggled in recent times when facing the Reds.

Lukaku has just one goal in his last seven games against Liverpool, compounded by the fact he has failed to register a shot on target in five of those matches.

During his Everton days, he became renowned for failing to deliver when it really mattered against the big boys of the league. Towards the end of his time at the club, he was firing in goals left, right and centre, but still failed to show up in matches of paramount importance.

He scored three times in twelve outings against the top six of the league (home and away) last campaign, a goal scoring return that you wouldn’t place hand in hand with a £75 million player.

The Belgian striker played in eight Merseyside derbies, failing to win once.

His first league start for Everton vs Liverpool came in a 3-3 thriller at Goodison, in which he netted a brace. However, he played seven games after this against the Reds, with just a solitary goal to his name.

These seven games he was involved in, include two 4-0 thumping’s, which for the most part, he may as well have been a spectator watching on the sidelines.

His most notable lacklustre performance came when Jurgen Klopp’s side walked away 1-0 victors in December last year at the home of the Toffees, courtesy of a last minute Sadio Mane winner.

The Senegalese winger seized the opportunity which presented itself to him, sealing both three points and city bragging rights. Lukaku himself had little to brag about, as Ragnar Klavan kept him tucked away in his back pocket all game.

Now that he has made the move to Manchester, expectations are raised even further. He has started superbly, but one could argue he hasn’t faced a top side yet. Today’s fixture will test his ability to rise to the challenge that keeps eluding him.

Despite cutting ties with the Blues, he has managed to keep the Reds as his arch nemesis.

This weekend’s clash will really demonstrate if it was the players surrounding Lukaku or if it’s simply his inability to deliver on the highest stage that has seen him struggle to score when it truly counts.

Can he make an impact against the Reds?

 

Tom Cavilla