Jacquet Scores on Liverpool Bow in Como Drubbing

The 21-year-old French kid, poached from Rennes back in February, opened his account just before the break. Gakpo did the dirty work, setting him up for an easy tap-in. That made it 2-0 for Andoni Iraola's side. Gakpo himself had broken the deadlock midway through the first half, courtesy of a neat pass from Jeremie Frimpong.

Jacquet’s first-half shift was solid, if not spectacular. Anfield gave him a warm welcome, and he looked keen, pushing Liverpool's backline forward, trying to get involved. Not perfect, mind you—he needed some cover once, and there was one clunky clearance. But he pulled off a crucial interception and was subbed at half-time. Job done.

Ronald Araujo took his place for the second half. Como started to see more of the ball, but Liverpool held their ground, keeping the clean sheet. Ryan Gravenberch rattled the crossbar late on. The hosts mostly cruised, controlling the match without ever really needing to impress, according to Sky Sports.

Jacquet's arrival screams 'long-term solution' for Liverpool's defense. Virgil van Dijk, at 35, clearly can't do it all forever. Fresh legs are needed back there. This fixture was a step in the right direction. Remember last week? They blew a two-goal lead against Monaco. This time, they kept it locked down. That clean sheet was exactly what Iraola needed heading into the season opener against Newcastle at St James' Park on 23 August.