For 30 years, successive Liverpool managers have been searching for that ultimate footballing cliché: the last piece of the jigsaw. For a while at Anfield, it looked like Mohamed Salah might be it for Jurgen Klopp. Then Virgil van Dijk and Alisson came along and made the side more complete.

It turns out even these esteemed names, extraordinary as they are, must stand aside.

The difference between the Liverpool team who could have won the title last season – and the European champions now in the healthiest position they could have imagined after 12 games to do it – is Fabinho. In their world-class central midfielder, Liverpool have finally filled the gap vacated by Steven Gerrard.

With Fabinho, Liverpool possess a team with no weakness in any sector of the pitch.

With Fabinho, Liverpool possess a team who currently have no tactical flaw, able to dominate when opponents sit back, or gleefully set the traps and move from back to front to score in 22 seconds when, like City, visitors play with ambition. No wonder Pep Guardiola sounded like his brain was frazzled at full-time. Working out how to beat Klopp’s Liverpool at Anfield is now the biggest challenge in football.