Thiago Alcantara staked his claim for a starting place at Liverpool with an assured 45-minute debut against Chelsea.
The Spaniard was introduced at half-time after being named on the bench by Jurgen Klopp and bossed the midfield against a ten-man Chelsea.
Andreas Christensen’s red card just before half-time made Liverpool’s job easier with Sadio Mane scoring two goals in the second half to give the defending Premier League champions a big victory.
Liverpool fans swooned over Thiago’s short debut and stats showed the 29-year-old dominated exchanges in the midfield.
Opta stats revealed Thiago completed more passes (75) than any Chelsea player managed during the entire game.
It is also the most passes achieved by a player who featured for a total of 45 minutes since 2003, when Premier League passing date began to be collected.
Liverpool’s matchwinner Mane was full of praise for his new team-mate after the match.
He said: ‘I think the whole worlds know what he’s capable of, one of the best players.
‘We are lucky to have him. Today he showed he is a great player.’
Liverpool chased Thiago for much of the summer before finally agreeing a deal with Bayern Munich last week.
The three points at Stamford Bridge caps off a brilliant few days for Liverpool which also included the shock signing of Wolves striker Diogo Jota.
Thiago replaced Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson, who picked up a thigh injury in the first half.
Liverpool play Lincoln City in the EFL Cup on Thursday in their next game before another league clash against Arsenal.
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