Liverpool’s win over Bournemouth on Friday has largely been seen as a bit of a great escape from the Reds.

Having been 2-0 and then pegged back to 2-2 with 15 minutes to go, there was plenty for Arne Slot to be concerned about after the match.

Nevertheless, there were some positives to emerge which perhaps should have been spoken about a little more.

Hugo Ekitike had a terrific debut, while the other three players making their first Premier League appearances for Liverpool also generally did fine.

Hugo Ekitike did something last night that only Darwin Nunez has managed before in Liverpool history	Liverpool edge Bournemouth in five-goal thriller to start Premier League title defence	'Very good debut': Wayne Rooney says there was something he 'really liked' about Hugo Ekitike vs Bournemouth

One area of scrutiny was in defence, where Ibrahima Konate showed why Marc Guehi is needed by turning in an error-strewn display.

Alongside him, some suggested captain Virgil van Dijk had had a disappointing day at the office as well.

But after some brilliant statistics emerged after the game, it has become clear that it was anything but for Van Dijk.

Photo by Michael Steele/Getty Images

While the spotlight was on Konate, Van Dijk certainly was not perfect against Bournemouth either.

However, as statistician Michael Reid revealed on Sunday, the Liverpool captain did in fact register two Premier League highs over the past five years.

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“On Friday v Bournemouth, Virgil van Dijk made 17 clearances and won 13 duels – the first player with numbers that high in both metrics in a single Premier League game for over 5 years,” Reid posted on X.

“He also had a game-high 100 touches and made 17 line-breaking passes.”

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It may not have looked like a record-breaking night for Van Dijk, but that’s because we have simply become so used to seeing him dominate.

With Konate in poor form beside him, anything less from the Dutchman and Liverpool might have ended up on the losing side.

If any other Premier League centre-back had turned in this display from Van Dijk, it would likely be a career best.

However, owing to the impeccably high standards the Liverpool No.

4 is held to, it will barely even register with the wider public.

Nevertheless, it all goes to show what a bonus having Van Dijk in the team is.

And with new signing Giovanni Leoni watching on, he was treated to an absolute show.

Leoni is a big fan of Van Dijk’s, and while he is unlikely to reach the level of the £75m man, he must soak in as much as possible while learning from him over the next two years.

This is the standard Van Dijk is setting, and whether people realise it or not, the young Italian watching on at Anfield on Friday is very much being primed to step into his shoes one day.