Liverpool were beaten on penalties during the Community Shield on Sunday, but still took plenty of positives from the game.

The Reds would have preferred to have won, of course, but the defeat will mean little in the grand scheme of the season.

Instead of focusing on the disappointment of losing, Liverpool fans should take a look at some things to build on ahead of the new campaign.

Perhaps the biggest piece of good news in that respect was the performance of Hugo Ekitike on his official Liverpool debut.

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Ekitike put the Reds ahead with a brilliant goal after just four minutes, and went on to show some brilliant glimpses of what he is capable of.

While most of the talk will rightly be on his goal, former Liverpool player Steve McManaman wanted to shine a light on something Ekitike did that may have gone under the radar.

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He may have only played three times for them, but Liverpool fans are getting an idea of the type of player Ekitike is.

His goal after just four minutes of Sunday’s showpiece was absolutely brilliant, and is hopefully a sign of things to come.

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But Ekitike impressed for his all-round play, and on punditry duty for TNT Sports, McManaman hailed the 23-year-old’s touch just before his goal.

“They have got really good chemistry together,” he said of Ekitike and Florian Wirtz.

“I really liked the first touch, it’s a lovely Ekitike first touch.”

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“You don’t necessarily focus on it, but as an ex-pro, you understand how aware he is to talk it on his back foot.

“A really nice start for Liverpool and particularly for two of the new signings.”

While Ekitike was excellent during most of his time on the pitch, he did still miss a couple of chances as well.

A good chance from a header went begging just at the start of the second-half, and he blazed over when well positioned in the penalty box not long after.

But the truth of the matter was also that Liverpool looked a little bit lost when Ekitike was taken off with 20 minutes left.

Some have questioned why the Reds are trying to sign Alexander Isak, but on Sunday it was absolutely clear that they need someone else in attack.

Ekitike by himself is a brilliant signing, but there are issues in terms of depth which still need to be addressed.