Trent Alexander-Arnold suggested Darwin Nunez had enjoyed one of the strongest Liverpool debuts he has seen after the new Reds striker starred in a Community Shield success over Manchester City.
Nunez, the flagship purchase this close-season at Anfield, was forced to wait for his bow after he was named on the bench for Saturday's match at the King Power Stadium.
But after Alexander-Arnold had handed the Reds the lead with a deflected first-half effort, the forward appeared for an eventful final half-hour that saw him both win a penalty and net a goal in a lively performance.
Asked how good his new team-mate's performance was, the England right-back hailed Nunez's bow as one of the best at the club in recent memory.
"It's got to be up there," Alexander-Arnold told ITV Sport. "He won the pen, he scored the goal. He looks lively, very lively.
"He's someone who has been brought in to score goals, and he proved he could do that today. He's come in, got his head down, worked hard so far [and] come on today with a point to prove."
Alexander-Arnold was delighted he could similarly contribute to winning the Community Shield, the lone domestic honour previously missing from the club's cabinet under Jurgen Klopp.
"It was on target, that's all I'll say," he said of his goal. "I just tried to make a good connection, steer it towards goal. I'm always happy to contribute towards goals. It was an important one for us.
"This one means a lot, to be honest. I think it's the third time we've been here, and we haven't been able to win it so far. That was our motivation going into it.
"Our season started today. A lot of teams start next week, but ours started today, so it was important for us to get off on the right foot."
Double cup glory last term helped Liverpool go within a whisker of a quadruple, before City edged them on the final day of the Premier League season and they then fell to Real Madrid in the Champions League final.
"Who knows what will happen over the course of the season?" added Alexander-Arnold on Saturday.
"Our aim is to be as fit as possible to push them from the very first kick. This was the perfect start, and we hope to win trophies along the way."
Messi hopes the 'craziness never ends' after 100th international goal and wild celebrations
Lionel Messi hopes the "craziness never ends" after scoring his 100th goal and ninth hat-trick for his country amid Argentina's homecoming World Cup celebrations on Tuesday.
La Albiceleste routed Curacao 7-0 in Santiago del Estero, with Messi's 20th-minute opener bringing up his 100th international goal, joining only Cristiano Ronaldo (122) and Ali Daei (109) in achieving that feat.
Messi became the first world champion to score 100 international goals, and he showed no signs of stopping there with further first-half strikes for a treble, taking him to 102.
The milestone came as Argentina rounded out their first two games back in their homeland since December's World Cup triumph with wild celebrations, initially in Buenos Aires for Thursday's 2-0 win over Panama.
The players emulated their celebrations from Qatar after the Curacao game, hoisting the World Cup trophy again after it came down from the stadium roof and doing a lap of honour to greet the supporters.
Messi was also presented with a plaque by Argentine Football Association president Claudio Tapia to acknowledge his 100th goal.
"What a nice way to close these dates, impressive today all the people in Santiago del Estero," Messi wrote on Instagram.
"I wish we can continue to share together many moments like these and that this craziness never ends!!!"
Messi's achievement comes after netting 21 goals in his 14 games for Argentina, along with seven assists. That has taken him to 156 goal contributions, which is the most in international football.
Argentina head coach Lionel Scaloni added: "As for Lionel Messi, what I want is for him to be on the pitch and be happy."
He added: "These days were different to the previous friendlies because the players were allowed to be with their people.
"We felt that they had that desire to go out to contact the outside, although that meant that it was difficult to prepare these two games. But in the end we got them through by playing with intensity."
'We are not robots' – Van Dijk hits back at strong Van Basten and Gullit criticism
Virgil van Dijk accepts he has not been performing at his best level but says footballers "are not robots" after being strongly criticised by Marco van Basten and Ruud Gullit.
The Liverpool defender's captaincy credentials were questioned by Van Basten in particular following Friday's 4-0 Euro 2024 qualifying defeat to France.
Dutch great Van Basten accused Van Dijk of "making noise but not saying anything" and creating chaos that leads to misunderstandings" in the side.
Fellow former Netherlands international Gullit, speaking alongside Van Basten in his punditry role with Ziggo Sport, said Van Dijk "thinks he is better than the rest".
While Van Dijk is open to opinions, he does not believe the criticism is entirely justified.
"It is clear that we played badly. I am one of the experienced guys, so it is completely justified," he said following Monday's 3-0 win over Gibraltar.
"Everyone is allowed to have their own opinion these days, that's the case. Did I set the bar unrealistically high? I was never perfect.
"But we've had a lot of success with the team. Football players [Van Basten and Gullit] know that better than anyone, have high peaks and deep valleys.
"It's quite normal that you can't always play consistently. That you have a phase as a club or player where you are looking for your level. People should not forget that.
"It is normal that people make mistakes; it is part of football and that it is very human."
Van Dijk has also been far from his best in a Liverpool shirt this season, but he hopes to return to top form soon.
"You know better than anyone when you are doing something right or not," the 56-cap defender said. "These are difficult times at my club, with lots of ups and downs.
"I am very positive about the future and I try to play my best game ever in every game. We are not robots. Let's not forget that. Maybe people sometimes forget that."
Henderson: It would be 'amazing' if Bellingham joins Liverpool
Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson says it would be "amazing" if Jude Bellingham joins him at Anfield, but added the teenager must choose the club that is best for him.
Bellingham has become one of the hottest prospects in football during his time at Borussia Dortmund, as well as having an impressive World Cup alongside Henderson with England last year.
The 19-year-old midfielder has been linked with Liverpool, Manchester City and Real Madrid among others, though recent reports suggested the Reds may struggle to finance a deal should the latter two start a bidding war, with Bellingham expected to demand a fee in excess of £100million (€114m).
Henderson has been as impressed as anyone by Bellingham, and though he hopes to be able to link up with him at club level as well as with England, said the youngster must "think about himself".
"I just want him to be the best player he can be – of course, if it ended up being Liverpool that would be amazing," he said. "But it's got to be right for him, and it's going to be every club you can think of that will want him.
"He has to think about himself and make sure he makes the right decision for his career. But there's going to be one lucky club that will end up getting him, whether that is now or in a year or two it will be a lucky club."
Bellingham has 10 goals and six assists in 34 games for Dortmund this season, and Henderson detailed what it is about the former Birmingham City player that makes him stand out.
"His potential is through the roof, really," Henderson added. "He can be as good as he wants to be – but he's got the right mentality, which is the most important thing.
"He is a really special player and I can't believe his age and his mentality, how he applies himself to training and the games, everything. I've never seen it before, so I'm pretty confident that he'll be a pretty good player for many years to come.
"Honestly, I can't believe his age, how mature he plays, how mature he is off the pitch, in the gym, training, everything, recovery day after the game. He is just dedicated to football.
"He's a special player, but I've said it before we just need to be careful not to apply too much pressure on him but let him play football. When you let him play football you can see what he does for Dortmund, you can see what he does here for England.
"Every time he puts on an England shirt he grows and is getting better and better all the time. Of course there are things he can improve on and get better at – he's only 19 – but the platform and the basis he has got he can go as high as he wants to."
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