Above anything, the one trait that separates world-class midfielders from the bog standard is a vision to pick passes that 99 per cent of the stadium would not even think about trying, never mind pulling them off.
But if there was one man at Anfield last night aside from the 22 players on the pitch that would have spotted the pass was on for Curtis Jones’ exquisite assist, it was the chap in the pristine white trainers crouching in the away technical area, Xabi Alonso.
It was a cushioned punch to split Leverkusen’s well-drilled and stubborn defence open and it looked rather easy. But that is what the best midfielders do – Alonso made a career of it as he won World Cups, Champions Leagues and national titles galore.
And it proved to be the decisive moment between a damp squib and maintaining a 100 per cent record in Europe for Arne Slot’s charges. Jones threaded in Luis Diaz to score with an equally deft finish, dinked over the goalkeeper, and then Cody Gakpo doubled their lead minutes later.
Goals are a bit like waiting for London buses recently for the Reds. Stand around for an age and then two come along at once. Two goals in three minutes to flip the game on its head and win against Brighton on Saturday, the same here to swat away the German champions.
Luis Diaz scored his first hat-trick for Liverpool to propel the home side to an emphatic win over Bayer Leverkusen
The Colombian opened the scoring with a delightful chip over Lukas Hradecky in the Leverkusen goal
Cody Gakpo continued his fine form in front of goal with the Reds’ second after a devastating counter attack
Before that, the contest felt like a charity match – and not just because of the guests in attendance that included Alonso, Rafa Benitez and Luis Garcia. Add BBC’s Stephen Warnock into the mix and it was an Istanbul 2005 reunion. It was a dull affair which lacked jeopardy.
Alonso accidentally timed his entrance from the tunnel awkwardly to coincide with Liverpool fans booing the Champions League anthem – done due to UEFA’s disgraceful handling of supporters at the 2022 final – but the returning Spaniard got a warm reception thereafter.
He spent 30 seconds just staring into the deep red structure of the Kop, looking awestruck still at this ground – completely different to how he will remember it. As per ritual, he touched the ‘This Is Anfield’ sign and shook hands with former team-mate Luis Garcia, now a pundit.
The Leverkusen boss waved to those in the Main Stand, though one suspects his hand was not directed at former boss Rafa Benitez, who was here as a guest in the posh seats. It was a fallout between the two Spaniards which sparked Alonso’s desire to leave in 2009.
But after his pre-match niceties, Alonso looked fully focused on his side’s task ahead. And he patrolled his technical area like a man possessed, clenching his fists and squatting in anxiety, plus furiously waving his arms with instructions.
How this homecoming must have made him wish he could get back on the Anfield turf and dictate the game as he so often did down the years. Instead, he was crouched in a position without direct control on proceedings. His team followed his orders perfectly, though.
Former Liverpool midfielder Xabi Alonso returned to Anfield with his Bayer Leverkusen side on Tuesday night
Given the love for Alonso, this had exhibition match vibes to it. Well done, UEFA, this is the reward for bloating the calendar so much that matches like these do not have a great deal riding on it, little to no jeopardy. At half-time, it felt like both teams would have shaken hands on a 0-0.
Liverpool had a few half-chances in the opening 45 minutes but Finnish goalkeeper Lukas Hradecky was never asked to make anything other than regulation saves. Curtis Jones, Cody Gakpo and Mo Salah were all guilty of shooting straight at the Leverkusen No 1.
At the other end, former Manchester City and Celtic man Jeremie Frimpong had a goal ruled out for a handball in the build-up, and the same player also had a penalty shout turned down when he went down under Virgil van Dijk’s challenge. He did take the man but it would have been soft.
Fifteen minutes of the second half ticked by without much change and, like on Saturday, the Kop thought they best play their part. Anfield found its voice to drown out the cackles of fireworks populating the night sky and the noise seemed to act as fuel for the home players.
Ryan Gravenberch shimmied away from a couple of challenges and fed Mohamed Salah only for him to fluff his lines and miskick a shot from close range but, with the next attack, Jones took the ball on the half-turn and threaded an eye-of-the-needle pass to Diaz.
Diaz completed the scoring to see the home side maintain their perfect start to the campaign
The home side have now won 14 of their first 16 matches in all competitions this season
Arne Slot’s side sit top of the Premier League and top of the Champions League standings
The Colombian took a nice touch and then dinked goalkeeper Hradecky. Diaz had been starting the match in an unfamiliar No 9 role and took a while to find his feet but this composed finish was as good as Slot could have asked for.
Minutes later, Salah found space on the right and put a cross on a plate for Gakpo to score his fourth goal in the last week, after three against Brighton – across two games in different competitions.
Diaz put the icing on the cake on 83 minutes with a clever finish after Salah popped up with another assist, and he completed his hat-trick in stoppage time to send Liverpool top of the table again.