Liverpool started their Premier League season in fantastic form as they pummelled West Ham United 4-0, thanks to goals from Mohamed Salah, Daniel Sturridge and a brace from Sadio Mane.
While our attack was incredible in the first game of the season, there were more eyes on the two debutants on the pitch.
Alisson took on the gloves for the first time in a Premier League game and Naby Keita also started in an advanced midfield role.
There were high expectations for both players, considering the huge sums we paid to sign them. And well, Keita did impress with his energy and passing.
The Guinea midfielder was a bundle of energy in the first half as he was nipping at every ball in the midfield. It was his run and pass that set up Andy Robertson’s cross for Salah to score the first goal of the game. Suffice to say, Keita was excellent throughout.
His presence has filled all the gaps from our play last season, even though we tried utilizing Georginio Wijnaldum as the link between the attack and the midfield.
You could say that Keita is an upgrade on Adam Lallana and his link-up play with our attackers was something to behold. It almost felt like he was tailor-made for Liverpool and the early signs do show that Jurgen Klopp knew what he was doing when he signed the 23-year-old from RB Leipzig.
The other player on show was Alisson and the Brazilian wasn’t tested much. However, he did have a couple of nervous moments when clearing the ball out.
Now, the Brazilian does take a risk when he lets the opposition close in on him but that is usually done to create more space for our side.
Alisson’s distribution was certainly great and a few more games under his belt should help him get accustomed to the Premier League.
Big things from our captain
Jordan Henderson was left on the bench for this game, meaning James Milner was the leader on the pitch.
The Englishman had suffered a nasty head injury but he certainly was not taking it easy. Milner was vocal in the heart of the park and seemed to be the first one to find all the loose balls in the midfield.
The former Manchester City man seemed possessed in the park and his performance ensured that West Ham had nothing to show from their new-look midfield.
Another player who was extremely vocal was Virgil van Dijk. Partnered in the heart of the defence with Joe Gomez, the Dutch defender kept it tight despite facing Marko Arnautovic and Javier Hernandez later on in the game.
Of course, there were a couple of issues that need to be ironed out, particularly when it comes to some of our younger players.
Gomez looked alright but he did have a couple of lapses in concentration. Furthermore, Trent Alexander-Arnold didn’t really make a strong impact in the first half, at least.
The young defender was part of England’s World Cup squad but he barely got any minutes under his belt. His passing was off and his crossing was haphazard as well.
The youngster might need to tone it down when we face some of the tougher teams. We were also let off the hook slightly as Anderson’s only meaningful contribution in the game was getting Trent booked early in the first half.
Everything else worked like a charm for Liverpool. Bringing Daniel Sturridge on as a substitute was a treat for the fans as the Englishman scored after just 20 seconds.
Xherdan Shaqiri couldn’t create magic for the Anfield faithful but it was still a great display from the rest of the team and the Shaq could do some amazing things in the coming months.
Read more: Sky Sports pundits name two Liverpool stars as the signings of the season
Liverpool were good in the win and the players need to keep their levels up for the entire season if we want to win the Premier League.
