AS Anfield unveiled its new impressive Main Stand in front of a 54,000 sell-out crowd on Saturday, the biggest crowd since 1977 also witnessed Roberto Firmino at his very best.
The likes of Daniel Sturridge, Philippe Coutinho and Adam Lallana are all capable of getting Red supporters off their seats but Firmino is quickly becoming a crowd favourite at Liverpool having started the season in sensational form.
The Brazilian scored twice in Liverpool’s 4-1 demolition of Leicester, taking his tally for the season to three but his all-round play under Jurgen Klopp is improving by the game.
Firmino joined Liverpool in a £29million deal from Hoffenheim last summer and like many foreign players recently joining the Premier League, struggled to make an impact during the first half of the campaign.
Just 12 months ago, the 24-year-old was hooked off after 65 minutes in a 3-1 defeat to Manchester United having failed to impress under Brendan Rodgers.
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But now Firmino is one of the first names of the team-sheet, and the stats are backing his claim.
Firmino’s second strike against Leicester was Liverpool’s 101 goal since Klopp has taken charge.
And the forward is the leading scorer over the 57 games the manager has overseen, with 14.
He has also created the highest number of chances in the Premier League this season with 14.
Liverpool have played more passes than any other top flight team this season with 2,365 and Firmino has contributed more key passes per game (3.5) than any other team-mate according to WhoScored stats.
Although he has yet to assist this campaign, Firmino's seven last season was only bettered by James Milner.
One criticism of Firmino is that he doesn't boast great pace but he makes up for it with his unique intelligence on the pitch.
His ability to find space comes naturally which was evident during his first goal against the Foxes.
Firmino exploited a small gap between the two centre backs before taking one touch to fire past Kasper Schmeichel.
His exclusion from Brazil's Copa America squad this summer meant Firmino had his first full pre-season at Liverpool and it is certainly paying dividends.
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