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He runs a fashion label in his spare time, but on this evidence Dejan Lovren has the substance to go with his style.

As debut matches go, this was just about the perfect afternoon for the Croatian. A goal for himself, a hand in another, and a clean sheet into the bargain. Top that.

Of those three contributions, of course, it is the latter which will have been most welcomed by Brendan Rodgers. Defensive tightening has been high on the Liverpool manager’s wishlist this summer, and this was a promising start.

Having spent the first fortnight of his Anfield career alone, waiting for his teammates to return from their duties in the USA, Lovren wasted no time settling into the heart of the Reds defence here. Selected alongside Martin Skrtel, and ahead of Mamadou Sakho, the 25-year-old showed just why he is so highly thought of, and why Rodgers had been so keen to bring him to Merseyside.

At £20m, Lovren is the most expensive defender in Liverpool’s history, and a price tag like that brings with it big expectations. The early signs, though, are positive.

He was vocal, he was positionally sound, and he performed his defensive duties with the minimum of fuss. In short, the new-boy looked like he’d been here for a long time.

Inside quarter of an hour, he had helped his side into a two-goal lead. For the first goal, 10 minutes in, Lovren displayed his willingness to move the ball, at pace, with either foot. His left-footed pass was fizzed into the feet of Philippe Coutinho, who helped it on brilliantly for Daniel Sturridge to run through to convert in typically clinical fashion.

Three minutes, Lovren was on the scoresheet himself, timing his arrival perfectly to head home Steven Gerrard’s corner from close range. Two appearances at Anfield, two goals.

(Image: Andrew Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)

Of course, such contributions, although welcome, are merely a bonus for a central defender. Lovren’s main business is at the other end.

The good news, though, is that he impressed in that regard too. Repeatedly, he towered above Adrian Ramos, nipped in ahead of Milos Jojic, and used his strength to see off Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.

When he slid in to nip a Dortmund counter-attack in the bud on the halfway line, half an hour in, the Main Stand sounded its approval. Here, they hope, is a player who can make a big difference.

“Dejan was perfect,” said Rodgers afterwards, singling out the newboy’s leadership and organisational skills, as well as his technical ability.

Those leadership skills are, to a large degree, why Liverpool bought him. And the hope now is that Lovre’s arrival will have a positive influence on those around him.

Can he, for example, encourage Simon Mignolet to make his voice heard more? Can he ensure Glen Johnson (or Jose Enrique) keeps his mind on the game for 90 minutes?

Johnson began this game at left-back, and, to his credit, turned in a much-improved performance. His form has been wretched for a while now, but here, with Lovren directing the traffic next to him, he was focused, robust and purposeful. As he continues to look more comfortable out of position, it may be a while before he switches flanks again.

If he does, mind, he could well find decent competition in the form of Javi Manquillo, who ensured there were two solid debutants in red.

The Spaniard has only trained with his new team-mates twice, but impressed with his desire to get forward and join in, and his ability to get tight defensively. His touch was good, as was his link-up play with the superb Jordan Henderson. When he eventually made way for Martin Kelly late on, the 19-year-old was given a fitting ovation.

Of course, any conclusions drawn from this game must contain a caveat; this was not the Borussia Dortmund we have become used to over the last few years.

They were missing a number of first-teamers, and have just sold their top scorer to Bayern Munich. They tried, but they rarely looked capable of stretching Liverpool. Henrikh Mkhitaryan, a one-time Liverpool target, could have been forgiven for wondering what might have been.

By contrast, with Daniel Sturridge, Philippe Coutinho and Raheem Sterling all purring, the Reds would have had enough to trouble anybody. Ronald Koeman, looking on from the director’s box, knows his Southampton side will be up against it when they visit next Sunday.

(Image: Andrew Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)

And that, really, is where the hard work will truly begin. Lots of sides look good in pre-season, and quickly fade. Rodgers knows that a good start to the season is vital, and he knows there is still business to be done at Anfield over the next three weeks or so. “We want to add maybe one or two more,” he told his post-match press conference.

The good news is, in Lovren he looks like he has already added a good ‘un. A couple more of those, and Liverpool really will be in business.