DONE DEAL:Liverpool has completed perfect transfer but Mohamed Salah question not as simple as it seems

Liverpool was slightly fortunate that early-game lapses in concentration from Alisson Becker, Trent Alexander-Arnold and others were not punished more by Bournemouth, but Jürgen Klopp’s side was able to turn things around for a 3-1 victory at Anfield.

Goals from Luis Díaz, Mohamed Salah and Diogo Jota made for a 3-1 victory in which Dominik Szoboszlai was a stand-out performer and Alexis Mac Allister was very harshly sent off — a decision that Liverpool should definitely be appealing.

“This shouldn’t have been a red card,” Klopp said post-match, via BBC Sport. “It’s a mistake and the punishment of playing 40 minutes with 10 men is already punishment enough. We have to talk to the authorities.

“There was contact but there is contact in a game all the time. If he gives a yellow card nobody would say, ‘by the way you need to have another look at that’. The amount of times I’ve already been asked about it shows it is worth discussing again, which we will probably do.

“I asked Macca and he said ‘he touched him, but not really’. If we have a list of points of what you need to give a red card, besides contact there’s no other box ticked.”

Here’s what else Liverpool.com learned and what you might have missed from the first Anfield fixture of the new season, with plenty of talking points emerging.

One thing we learned

There is a discussion to be had about whether or not Mohamed Salah is the right man to be taking Liverpool penalties, though taking him off them — in the case that was deemed the right course of action — would not be an easy conversation.

Last season, Salah scored five times from the spot (four for Liverpool; one for Egypt) and missed two, but because the two he missed were in quick succession (against Bournemouth and Arsenal) they stick in the mind. The Egyptian then needed a rebound after a poor spot kick against Bournemouth again here.

Szoboszlai has only ever missed one of the 16 penalties that he has taken and could be a viable alternative. Mac Allister has scored nine and missed one. It’s something to think about, but Salah’s record isn’t as bad as recent memory might suggest.

Biggest takeaway

The need for a proper, top-class holding midfielder in the new-look Liverpool system is obvious. While it can work when every part is at its peak, there are simply too many gaps without an elite player at the base of the midfield, hence the desire to splash out so much cash on Moisés Caicedo, who opted for Chelsea.

Stefan Bajčetić did not feature against Bournemouth but was involved in the matchday squad for the first time since March, when he picked up a season-ending injury, but it would be a lot to ask of him at 18 to play the role to perfection.

Wataru Endo looked solid enough on the ball but will clearly take time to adapt to the Premier League — the Japanese did not look particularly mobile during his 30 minutes on the pitch on Saturday and that is one essential thing required for anyone to play the holding role on their own.

Until Liverpool has a Caicedo-level defensive midfielder tying things together at the base of its new midfield, the new system cannot be properly judged. The problem is finding a player who fits that mold and is available is next to impossible.

A moment you might have missed

Szoboszlai was the best player on the pitch by a distance. Throughout the whole game, his energy did not wane and he looks proficient in terms of everything someone in that role needs to offer for Liverpool.

On and off the ball, he looks like the ideal fit for the attacking midfield berth with an exceptional range of passing and set-piece delivery plus a knack for running until he cannot stop. His pressing, though, is as intelligent as it is intense, with Szoboszlai willing to put the hard yards in to complement the silkier side of his game perfectly.

If that wasn’t enough to make him a fan favorite, there was also a moment in the first half where he screamed into the Sir Kenny Dalglish Stand at Anfield, gesticulating at the home supporters to make more noise and push the team on after a difficult start. He had already done plenty to endear himself, but passion like that can only help.

“I was waiting since I signed,” Szoszszlai said about playing at Anfield at full-time. “Hopefully I can play 1000 times more.”