Alisson Becker found Mohamed Salah , who teed it up for Diogo Jota to slide a pass into Dominik Szoboszlai . The Hungarian could have shot, but he unselfishly squared the ball for Luis Diaz to put into an empty goal. Liverpool, by this point, was cruising.
That goal made it 3-0 to Arne Slot's team in the new head coach's first match at Anfield . Sevilla couldn't cope with the flowing attacking moves that were being strung together, with Diaz and Jota both already having found the top right corner earlier in the half. Pre-season counts for nothing, of course, but the signs on show were positive.
In matches in the USA and now on home soil, the early pointers as to what Slot wants from his side are becoming clear . Tyler Morton already labeled it "Total Football" and Curtis Jones spoke about playing more from the back and building through the thirds .
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Liverpool, it seems, will be taking more chances inside its own penalty area with the rewards outweighing the risks. It will go wrong at times, but the tactical plan appears to center around baiting the opposition into breaking its structure, thus creating gaps.
On Sunday, Ryan Gravenberch was the perfect option as the number six , putting in probably his best performance in a Liverpool shirt to date at the base of the midfield. But while technically he is ideal for the role, we are yet to see what it looks like against a team that offers a greater attacking threat or is more physical — the next home fixture being against Brentford.
That is why Liverpool is attempting to sign Real Sociedad and Spain star Martin Zubimendi . His primary function, too, is in possession, but he showed during the final of the European Championship that he can effectively snap into tackles as well. He is a different kind of defensive midfielder to Klopp's best — Fabinho — but plenty of their best traits overlap.
It is too early to commit to cast-iron observations about the differences between Slot's style and Jurgen Klopp's . Things will, without doubt, change and evolve over time as some players gain fitness and form and others drop out through injury. Slot is yet to experience the Premier League and he might yet find things he needs to alter.
But it would be fair to say — given that several players have already mentioned it this summer — that building up more from the back is of greater focus. The friendlies we have seen so far would add further weight to that, with some narrow escapes in terms of conceding goals from mistakes.
The proper soccer, though, is yet to begin. Will Liverpool play in exactly the same way against Manchester City at the end of November compared with what happens at Ipswich Town next weekend? Will it head to Old Trafford at the start of September with the same game plan as the one that we saw over the weekend?
It feels unlikely that there won't be some level of change. If the Zubimendi deal does get over the line, that will just be one element of difference. The true extent of the evolution, though, is only just beginning to become clear.
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