Alexander Isak plan accelerates as Liverpool man who won't go forgotten times pitch perfectly

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A journalist with over a decade's worth of experience, he has worked at the ECHO since 2016.

The moment the 60,000-plus inside Anfield had turned out in the hope of seeing was served up to them by Alexander Isak on the cusp of half time.

The £125m man slotted past goalkeeper Alex McCarthy with consummate ease on 43 minutes of this 2-1 victory over Southampton in the Carabao Cup at Anfield, wheeling away with the sort of celebration that will soon become a regular sight around these parts.

This is what they paid the money for and while there will be tougher tests in more high-profile games, the fact Isak is already off the mark as a Liverpool player augurs well for Arne Slot as he continues reconfiguring this new-look attack.

The Reds have basically used the first few weeks of the Sweden international's six-year contract establishing the best way to get him Premier League match fit as quickly as possible.

READ MORE:Liverpool boss Arne Slot slams 'stupid' Hugo Ekitike's 'needless' red card against Southampton

There was the intense Saturday session that saw him take a Sunday recovery day when his colleagues were at Burnley earlier this month, before an hour-long cameo - and a first start since May - against Atletico Madrid was followed up by more minutes off the bench in the Merseyside derby at the weekend.

But it was a start here against Southampton where fans were perhaps most expectant of their new hero showing just enough to whet the appetite for what should follow.

And the No.9 did not disappoint, tucking away Federico Chiesa's cut-back with no fuss during an enterprising first half that might have even had an early goal but for a good save.

Club staff had been in regular dialogue with their Sweden counterparts after Isak completed his British-record switch on transfer deadline day before flying out on international duty - with the Reds keen to get their new No.9 up to speed on the back of a pre-season schedule where he was banished to the shadows at Newcastle United as his acrimonious transfer was played out largely in public.

Post-match warm-down sessions and even half-time routines have all formed part of the detailed and strategic plan for Isak and the sight of the striker shuttle running under the watchful eye of Ruben Peeters, the physical performance coach, during the break was instructive as to how there will be no deviation from the blueprint designed for him.

Isak might have felt entitled to have earned himself a half-time pat on the back from Slot after opening the scoring against the Championship side, but he was instead dispatched outside to run through the drills with Peeters.

And the fact that Isak was not given any more time to add to his opener after half-time only hammered home the message further: there are bigger fish to fry than Southampton in the Carabao Cup.

This, though, was an encouraging evening for a player for whom so much will be expected over the next few years at Anfield.

But Isak is not the only big-money striker joining Liverpool this summer and his exit for Hugo Ekitike gave the France international the chance to strut his own stuff for 45 minutes.

Once more the former Eintracht Frankfurt man, who could end up costing the Reds £79m, was bright and inventive, with his elegant, rangy style forcing Southampton into a number of desperate scrambles inside their own penalty area.

After Shea Charles had profited from a failure to clear a corner - look away now Wataru Endo - it was left to Ekitike to tap in Chiesa's second assist of the evening for his fifth goal in seven games.

Incomprehensibly, Ekitike, who was already on a booking for shoving the ball away in frustration at a Thomas Bramall decision, removed his shirt in celebration, only to promptly see the second yellow flashed in his direction.

A social media apology has since been given by the Frenchman.

It was a foolish and naive decision from Ekitike to take his shirt off, regardless of how peculiar that specific law is and his one-game suspension now means Isak will be thrust into a more prolonged run-out this weekend.

Just as well Liverpool had a plan for those fitness levels all along then.

But for all the talk of high-profile, mega-money frontmen, it was the display of a player on the fringes that gave Slot the most food for thought here as Chiesa looked like a man intent on staking a serious claim.

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With the likeable Italian not in the Champions League squad and the FA Cup not with us until January, Chiesa has little choice but to force his way into the thinking through this competition and that is exactly what he set about doing with two assists and a full-blooded performance that can’t have failed to have caught Slot’s eye.

With Ekitike suspended for the Palace game, Chiesa’s potential re-emergence has come at an opportune time for both him and Slot.