Saturday’s pre-season win over Hertha Berlin saw all three of Liverpool’s summer signings play a part, including a debut for the club’s newest arrival.
Fans finally caught a glimpse of left-back Andrew Robertson, who made his first appearance for the Reds since completing his £10million move from Hull City.
The Scotland international was relatively untroubled defensively and gave his teammates a brief insight into what he can offer from an attacking point of view.
A steady and assured performance included a number of overlapping runs and a notable ambition to break into the final third when given the freedom to get forward.
He did all Jurgen Klopp could have really wanted him to do in his first game for the club, prioritising his defensive responsibilities, not taking unnecessary risks and playing with lots of confidence.
Dominic Solanke was an unexpected starter after coming in as a late change for the injured Divock Origi and made sure he took full advantage of his opportunity.
The striker got himself on the score-sheet for a second time in a Liverpool shirt when he guided his first half header beyond the goalkeeper to put his new team 1-0 up.
He also played a key role in his side’s second, forcing a mistake from a Hertha defender before finding Sadio Mane, who then turned provider for Georginio Wijnaldum’s calm finish.
Solanke followed up his fine strike in a recent Asia Trophy win against Crystal Palace to continue his sparkling pre-season form and once again hint at becoming an inspired bargain.
Supporters were also treated to another pleasing performance from big-money signing Mohamed Salah, who scored his third goal for the club.
Though the Egyptian didn’t get the chance to form a highly-anticipated duo with Sadio Mane, he did show further signs of striking up a frightening understanding with Philippe Coutinho.
It was the Brazilian’s stunning pass that fed Salah’s blistering run beyond the Hertha back four and set the winger up for his lobbed finish.
Pre-season alone has seen the former Roma man go a long way towards fulfilling expectations that he would be a perfect fit to not only Klopp’s setup but also the team’s overall approach.
Besides proving to be a dangerous wide option, he has also demonstrated what a valuable outlet he can also be through the middle- something that has served as evidence of how suited he is to a Liverpool team that thrives on attacking interchanging.
Next stop is Munich, where the Reds will compete in the Audi Cup.
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