Luis Diaz reaches historical 132-year Liverpool achievement with Bayer Leverkusen hat-trick

Luis Diaz’s stunning performance saw him enter the Liverpool history books - as he achieved a 132-year landmark.

The Reds were in scintillating form as they stormed past Bayer Leverkusen 4-0 at Anfield largely thanks to a Diaz hat-trick. With Arne Slot applying a tactical tweak, Diaz was allowed more license to run in behind, similar to how a striker would and he was a direct and consistent threat.

Incredibly, Diaz’s hat-trick was the club’s 250th across their competitive history. The first came in 1892 by John Miller who netted a hat-trick in a FA Cup qualifier against Nantwich. The club’s fourth-highest scorer of all time, Billy Liddell, netted the 100th against Tottenham in 1951. In terms of more recent milestones, Michael Owen netted the 200th against Grimsby Town in the League Cup in 1997 - and Diaz bagged the 250th in 2024, 27 years later.

Speaking after the game, the Colombian spoke on the positional change. Diaz said: “We have top-quality players all over the pitch, but actually, I enjoyed playing in that position today, and wherever I’m playing I’m going to work hard and help the team.”

Interestingly, Slot confirmed that he made the decision to change it up in attack because Leverkusen defender Jonathan Tah would have welcomed a battle with a traditional forward, rather than someone like Cody Gakpo or Diaz who will always be on the move. “The fact that I think Tah – who is a real good defender and is one of the best defenders in Germany, maybe the best defender in Germany – maybe likes to play more against a target man, someone who's there in the middle.

“We chose to play Lucho more from the left or the midfield and then maybe surprise him afterwards with runs in behind – not only him but in general. If you look at the first goal, that played out.”

In comparison, if you take two of the sport’s best ever players in Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, they boast a combined 120 hat-tricks between them. Messi has 59 across his career while the Portuguese star has 66. For Diaz, it was a first career hat-trick and, at 27, he is clearly in his prime years. And given the form he’s displaying this season, it may not be his last.