On a night when several Premier League’s loan stars made an impact in the Europa League, Origi had broken the deadlock from the penalty spot in the 77th minute following a Ricardo Rodriguez handball.
But De Bruyne levelled things up with a stunning strike five minutes later. The ex-Chelsea man let fly following a cleared corner, finding the top corner with the sweetest of hits.
Three goals in six games is decent form for Origi as his loan move from Anfield appears to be an ill judged move by Brendan Rodgers when fortunes of Liverpool’s attackers are compared.
In many ways, Origi is similar to Mario Balotelli, the striker Rodgers brought in the final days of the transfer window that he is a real presence upfront. It’s incredible to think that the Reds have Origi on their books, but yet Rodgers saw fit to send him out on loan for the season.
Given the departure of Luis Suarez, goals were always going to be harder to come by this year. Sure, hindsight is brilliant, but Rodgers has a certified goalscorer on his hands with the 19-year-old, and with only Sturridge as an out-and-out striking option, the decision to send Origi away is baffling.
But it isn’t just the amount of goals he is scoring that makes the decision puzzling, it is the types of goals he is putting away. Take his most recent effort for Lille at the weekend. It was a chance from effectively nothing, and it is the kind of attacking play Liverpool are gravely missing at the moment.
The Everton game was symptomatic of that; there were several chances being forged by the midfield, but there simply isn’t anyone there to put them away. The stats don’t lie; Liverpool have scored fewer goals in their first six games (eight) than the likes of West Ham (10), Hull (nine) and even Leicester (nine).
Again, with hindsight on offer, it’s easy to pull apart Rodgers’ decision. But you just wonder if the Liverpool manager is watching Origi do the business in France wondering if he’s made a massive error of judgement.
-Daily Mail and Bleacher Report