Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain form for Liverpool coming back bit by bit, says James Milner

Goalscorer: Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain
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David Lynch24 October 2019

James Milner hailed an "amazing" night in Genk as Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain’s reward for his commitment to a gruelling rehabilitation schedule.

Making his first Champions League start since sustaining a serious knee injury during a semi-final first leg in April 2018, Oxlade-Chamberlain scored twice to help the Reds to a 4-1 win over the Belgian champions on Wednesday evening.

The Englishman’s opener at the Luminus Arena was his first goal for the club since a memorable strike during the quarter-final win over Manchester City that preceded the Roma game.

And Milner believes his teammate’s well-taken brace in Belgium was fully deserved after a frustrating 18-month battle to get back to his best.

He said: “I am delighted for him, it is amazing. Obviously it is not easy when you have been out for so long but you can see it all coming back bit by bit.

“Obviously he has always had that goal threat and he scored a couple of great goals.

“That is what we want, everyone back, fit and firing and providing competition for places all over the field and that is what we have got now.

“He was delighted in the dressing room, of course. Everyone can imagine what he has gone through with the long hours in the gym on his own and then even when he has come back, there’s been frustration over where he was before his injury and that (lack of) sharpness and how he felt on the field with the speed of the game and things like that.

“We have seen all that and try to help him through so when he gets a night like this it is amazing and makes it all worth it. So it was great work from him but also the club’s medical staff to help get him fit.

“I think everyone is always pushing for places and the manager has a tough decision to make every time he picks a team.

“That is exactly what he wants and while it doesn’t make his life any easier, it is what you need if you want to challenge on multiple fronts and that is what we want to do. We need people challenging for spots in all positions.”

Napoli’s victory over Salzburg in Wednesday’s other game leaves Liverpool in second place in Group E ahead of a second meeting with Genk at Anfield on November 5.

Asked about the Reds’ qualification chances, Milner added: “As long as it is in our hands, that is the main thing. It was a solid performance tonight but it could have been better.

“But we just have to keep winning, picking up the points and hopefully we can do that in the next game.”

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