In a world where his former midfield partner Moises Caicedo went to Chelsea for £115million and Argentina colleague Enzo Fernandez moved to the same club for £107m, Alexis Mac Allister for a paltry £35m could be the signing of the season.
He might not get the headlines of Mohamed Salah or beam out from Manhattan billboards alongside LeBron James like Virgil van Dijk, but Mac Allister is the player driving Liverpool’s quest for a record-matching 20th English league title.
For five Liverpool matches in a row, his metronomical midfield prompting has yielded a goal or an assist, starting with that 99th-minute eye-of-the-needle pass at Nottingham Forest and ending here with a similarly deft assist for Salah.
Until then, his old team Brighton were going toe-to-toe with the Reds. Maybe not in terms of shots or chances created, but there were times when the visitors caused waves of anxiety to ripple around Anfield in a match that had been dubbed a job audition for their boss Roberto De Zerbi.
By the end, every punter in the stadium was praising Mac Allister, be it fans on the Kop or those in the away end. The feeling was reciprocated, as he went over to the Albion faithful at full time.
Alexis Mac Allister produced a virtuoso performance against his former club on Saturday
Mohamed Salah (centre) scored the second-half winner that moved Liverpool top of the table
The Egyptian had a string of opportunities on what was otherwise a frustrating afternoon in front of goal
The Kop erupted after a clinical passing move put the Reds star into score against Brighton
De Zerbi said before the match that Mac Allister (below) was a ‘special guy’ for the way he’d handled his exit, before firing an indirect dig at ‘others who did not’ — cough, Caicedo, cough — with Jurgen Klopp also hailing Mac Allister as a ‘difference maker’.
He was just that here, with a lovely, caressed pass into the path of Salah for the winning goal. That was one of 12 shots for Salah on a day where he could have racked up a hat-trick.
If this was indeed De Zerbi’s audition for one of Europe’s elite jobs, it was not a failure. His team were brave, energetic and, with a bit more luck, could have left with a point despite the Reds having 30 goal attempts.
The Italian patrolled his technical area like a man possessed, kicking every ball. He shaped to charge down the touchline when his side scored but, by the end, was on his knees as chances went begging. Brighton started at their exhilarating, slick best with heavy-metal counter-attacking football, while Liverpool looked weak in defence.
Klopp had admitted on Friday that even top teams like his had to alter their system to play against De Zerbi’s ‘different and unique’ style. That was the case here, with the Merseysiders’ average position map representing more of a 2-4-4 shape.
It made for a fascinating, cat-and-mouse battle as the two managers tried to out-think one another. Brave Brighton allowed Liverpool 14 first-half shots but had expanses of space to exploit in return, and one such break led to their early goal.
The space behind Liverpool’s defence was exploited clinically with less than 90 seconds on the clock, as a zapping attack down Brighton’s left saw Simon Adingra get the better of Conor Bradley and tee up Danny Welbeck for a thumping finish.
Liverpool have made a theme of fighting from behind in games this season, with 26 points now won from losing positions and this a seventh victory after going 1-0 down.
They racked up chance after chance, albeit without seriously troubling Bart Verbruggen.
Brighton boss Roberto De Zerbi (right) is one of the leading candidates to succeed Jurgen Klopp at Anfield this summer
Danny Welbeck stunned the home fans with a fierce drive into the Liverpool top corner after only two minutes had been played
It was the former Manchester United forward’s third goal against Liverpool in 23 games
They finally found the golden touch after 27 minutes to pull level through Luis Diaz, though the goal was rather scrappy. It came after Brighton had failed to clear and Salah headed a ball back into Diaz’s path, via Joel Veltman, with the Colombian poking it in on the stretch.
Liverpool could have been home, hosed and on the sofa ready for Manchester City v Arsenal if they had been more clinical. Salah had seven of Liverpool’s 14 first-half shots as he looked close to full match sharpness again after a long-term injury.
This was his first Premier League start since New Year’s Day, with Salah asking to sit out Egypt’s recent international camp. Instead, he stayed on Merseyside for daily gym work.
But though he looked at his best physically, he was perhaps a bit off colour in front of goal. It says a lot, then, that Liverpool’s talisman still left this match having scored one and contributed to the other, despite hints of rustiness.
Mac Allister’s superb pass opened up space in the box for Salah to score Liverpool’s winner
Luis Diaz pounced onto a loose ball after Brighton failed to clear a Liverpool corner and steered in his effort on the stretch
Klopp’s side sit two points clear at the top of the table after Arsenal and Man City’s 0-0 draw
Salah fired the Reds ahead after 65 minutes after a lovely team move. Dominik Szoboszlai drilled a pass to Mac Allister, who cushioned the ball through to Salah to pass into the far corner.
With a bittersweet tone, De Zerbi hailed Mac Allister after the game and said: ‘He became a great player. The assist was incredible. I am proud of him. He deserves to be an important player in a big team.’
He is definitely that. As far as summer signings go, few have made a bigger contribution. The 25-year-old is building a trophy room at his new abode in the North West, and kisses his World Cup winner’s medal every day.
If he continues like this, that room will soon have some new silverware.
