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After a summer of big spending and exciting new transfers, it ended up being the only signing of Arne Slot’sfirst window at the helm, Federico Chiesa, who popped up with a late winner for Liverpool against Bournemouth.
Hugo Ekitike and Cody Gakpo looked to have sent Liverpool on its way, only for Antoine Semenyo to net twice in quick succession to level things up again. Chiesa then put his side in front again, sparking rapturous scenes, before Mohamed Salah put the icing on the cake.
It won’t make up for what was essentially a missed year of action for the Italian — and it is still possible that he departs in the next 16 days — but Chiesa deservedly reveled in the moment.
Clinically, he ignited Anfield with one sweep of the ball into the corner. That wasn’t the only positive for Liverpool, either. Ekitike was excellent, and Florian Wirtz showed more promise.
Fellow new arrival Milos Kerkez didn’t help himself by getting booked, while Jeremie Frimpong came off in the second half, having seen just how intense the Premier League can be.
But for all the potentially good signs on show, there is a big worry. How do you get the balance right between attacking quality and a top-heavy overload?
Clearly, Wirtz has been signed for a club record fee to play the number 10 role. The attack will be built around him, and that means a slightly changed system — a more clearly defined 4-2-3-1 than last season.
Alexis Mac Allister being in the two will help — he did, when he was on the pitch, and it was noticeable when he went off — and Ryan Gravenberch adds plenty of poise. But there is a delicate balance to be struck in midfield, and Liverpool hasn’t found it yet.
Semenyo was able to run through the Liverpool team with ease when he leveled things up. And in the Premier League, there will be a player of that quality to play against most weeks.
It might be Anthony Gordon next Monday at St James' Park. It might be Bukayo Saka against Arsenal the week after. As the cliche goes, there are no easy games.
And when Liverpool is just one bad touch or pass away from being exposed on the counter, there is clearly an issue.
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Ibrahima Konate started the game by misplacing passes and looking like he was playing on ice as Bournemouth pressed him.
Alongside him, Virgil van Dijk was much calmer and more collected. He was impressive enough, but there is not much you can do when opposition bodies are streaming forward in your direction.
Liverpool’s central defenders were left exposed with nothing in front in the way of protection. For the first goal, Wataru Endo was stranded upfield. For the second, only Konate and Van Dijk got in the way of five or six runners.
Individually, Konate wasn’t perfect. But this was a system issue. It was more than just the Frenchman making a rash or rushed decision.
For now, Liverpool can relish the fact that it won late. It can marvel at the prospect of watching Ekitike and Wirtz every week. Behind the scenes, though, Slot will be plotting a tactical shift to fix the balance. Fortunately, he has 10 days before Newcastle.
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