Jordan Henderson has given up his duties as Liverpool captain to play under the guidance of the coach who gave him the Anfield armband eight years ago, one of many athletes who have been enticed by Middle Eastern wealth.
Jordan Henderson’s five best goals for Liverpool
Henderson completed a contentious £12 million transfer to Al Ettifaq after a 12-year spell on Merseyside, which works out to £1 million for each year of service—and a chance to reunite with Steven Gerrard and a £700,000 weekly salary.
While the 33-year-old was content to let Luis Suarez, Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane, and Roberto Firmino carry the offensive load while he cleaned up in midfield, Henderson contributed with 33 goals while playing for the Reds, including a few that neither the Kop nor Jurgen Klopp – who hailed his former captain as a “legend” – will soon forget.
Here, Sports Mole picks out Henderson’s five best goals in a Liverpool jersey as he jets off to the Saudi Pro League to mixed responses.
5. Brighton & Hove Albion – July 8, 2020
Henderson had already led the Reds to their first Premier League title by the time Liverpool travelled to the Amex Stadium for a private match against Brighton & Hove Albion in July 2020, but Klopp’s team showed no signs of slowing down on the South Coast.
Salah scored the game’s first goal for the freshly crowned champions after only six minutes, and Brighton once more became the architects of their own demise two minutes later, with Henderson scoring his fourth goal of the season in impressive fashion.
The Liverpool captain assisted his team in gaining possession by putting pressure on an approaching Adam Webster, whose ball was intercepted by Naby Keita on the halfway line. Klopp’s champions then poured forward in pursuit of the sought goal.
Salah changed roles to assist Henderson, who increased Liverpool’s lead with a sharp first-time strike into the far corner from 25 yards while being held up by numerous blue and white shirts.
Despite getting a hand to the midfielder’s effort, Mathew Ryan could only assist the ball as it made its way into the side of the net as Liverpool returned to their starting point with a 3-1 victory, falling just one point short of breaking the 100-point barrier.
4.Norwich City- January 19, 2013
When Norwich City visited in January 2013, Suarez and Daniel Sturridge received the majority of the praise for Liverpool’s effortless passage past the Canaries, scoring five goals against their Carrow Road opponents without reply.
However, a 22-year-old Henderson, who had gone scoreless in the first half of the 2012–13 Premier League season, wanted a belated piece of the action before Liverpool’s deadly combination of old added to their tally for the year.
Suarez was surrounded by a sea of yellow shirts on the edge of the area with 26 minutes gone, but the Uruguayan forward avoided the Norwich charges and chipped the ball sweetly back to Henderson, who blasted a peach of a half volley into the net from inside the D.
Rodgers quickly waxed poetic about Henderson’s “fantastic” opening strike, which launched Liverpool to a five-star victory over Chris Hughton’s Canaries and a 5-0 rout. The Englishman duly finished the 2012–13 Premier League campaign with five goals.
3.AC Milan – September 15, 2021
Towards the end of his Liverpool career, Henderson’s goals began to dwindle, but in September 2021, during an AC Milan game in the Champions League group stage, the England international made sure the Rossoneri got a taste of his first-time prowess.
The Reds took the lead thanks to an own goal by Fikayo Tomori, but just before halftime, Ante Rebic and Brahim Diaz scored twice to silence the Kop, leaving them with a 2-1 deficit to make up.
Salah promptly equalized just four minutes after the restart, making up for a missed penalty earlier in the game. After a string of fruitless corners, Liverpool finally converted a dead-ball opportunity in the 69th minute.
Ismael Bennacer partially cleared Trent Alexander-Arnold’s poor pass to the near post, but the Algerian could only set up Henderson for a vicious low strike inside the D that sealed a remarkable comeback victory.
Henderson snapped a seven-year goal drought in the Champions League to end another thrilling European matchup against the Rossoneri, and AC Milan keeper Mike Maignan was helpless to stop the scorching shot from nestling into the bottom corner.
2. Manchester City- March 1, 2015
Henderson had his most successful season in front of goal in the 2014–15 season, scoring six goals and assisting 10 more in the Premier League, one year after Liverpool’s agonizing failure to win the English top division.
When Rodgers’ Reds defeated Manchester City at Anfield in April 2014, the 33-year-old received a late red card, but Henderson promptly atoned for that oversight during the champions’ subsequent trip to Merseyside 11 months later, scoring the game’s opening goal in the 11th minute with a genuinely magnificent effort.
Raheem Sterling spotted Henderson in a ton of space on the left flank as he was serving as the team’s interim captain because Gerrard was out due to injury. Henderson cut inside before hitting an incredible curler from over 25 yards out that reached the top corner.
Edin Dzeko momentarily restored parity for Man City, but Philippe Coutinho’s equally spectacular effort gave Liverpool a 2-1 victory. Man City would ultimately finish the season 17 points ahead of their Europa League-bound opponents.
1. Chelsea – September 16, 2016
In all competitions during the injury-plagued 2016–17 season, Henderson only managed one goal, but it was probably the best one he ever scored while wearing the red and white of Liverpool.
Five weeks into their illustrious campaign, Chelsea suffered their first loss as Henderson-captained Liverpool made their trip to West London in September 2016 more than worthwhile. This was before Antonio Conte achieved success with Chelsea using his three-at-the-back method.
Before Martin Atkinson blew the halftime horn, Chelsea also paid the price for failing to effectively clear their lines after Dejan Lovren had already given Liverpool the lead from close range in the 17th minute.
The ball fell to Henderson about 35 yards from goal, and the midfielder took one neat touch before unleashing an unstoppable strike into the top corner, beyond the helpless reach of 6 foot 6 inch keeper Thibaut Courtois. Gary Cahill had given the hosts a brief moment of respite by hacking away a throw-in.
Henderson’s first goal in 20 appearances for Liverpool proved decisive at Stamford Bridge, and the Al Ettifaq new boy is unlikely to score a finer goal in what is left of his outstanding career, despite a second-half Diego Costa reaction.
Jordan Henderson’s five best goals for Liverpool
