The ever reliable James Milner was a deserving man of the match as Liverpool swept aside West Ham on opening day at Anfield last Sunday.

But the name on every Liverpool fan's lips as they spilled out of the Kop and on to Lower Breck Road was of another Reds midfielder: Naby Keita.

Perhaps it was the year they'd had to wait to see the Guinean, signed the summer previous for £52.75m from RB Leipzig, which had merely whetted the appetite and set their tongues wagging.

Or perhaps it was a debut performance of real class, tantalising evidence that the 23-year-old could be the missing link which can help Liverpool bridge that 25-point Premier League gap to Manchester City.

If supporter expectations perhaps need to be held in check after just one 90-minute display, Jurgen Klopp is not inclined to be the man to do it.