Somewhere inside Molineux, the inquest has already started.
Voices being raised, tempers flaring. Fingers jabbed angrily in all directions. Fists banged on the table.
Just how were Liverpool allowed to sign Diogo Jota from Wolverhampton Wanderers for an initial £41million?
Given only three players have cost more in the Reds’ history, it’s not an insignificant sum.
But even on this early evidence it appears as impressive a piece of business as the money spent on Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane.
And it has given Jurgen Klopp an intriguing problem.
Few would argue Roberto Firmino has been one of the foundations of Liverpool’s success during the Klopp era.
However, by the time the Brazilian emerged in Bergamo for the Champions League clash with Atalanta, Liverpool were already 5-0 up with Jota having scored a memorable hat-trick.
While only the third player to score an away treble in Europe for the Reds – Michael Owen and Mane the others – this was Jota’s third in Continental combat inside 12 months having similarly netted for Wolves against Besiktas and Espanyol in last season’s Europa League.
Each goal was a personal showcase.
The first on 16 minutes demonstrated his pace and ability to run off the last defender, racing on to Trent Alexander-Arnold’s pass before a sumptuous finish over goalkeeper Marco Sportiello.
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His second was all about instant touch and power, controlling Joe Gomez’s diagonal pass to the far post with his left foot then smashing in with his right.
And the third saw him run on to Mane’s pass and show a cool head to get to the ball before the beleaguered Sportiello and then finish with aplomb.
That’s seven in 10 for Jota, six in his last four. Firmino, perhaps for the first time, now faces real competition for his starting place.
Small wonder Portugal deemed Jota a suitable replacement for Cristiano Ronaldo during the last international break. He responded by scoring twice.
Salah and Mane did their bit in Italy, each bagging a goal and an assist as the Reds won their first three Champions League group games for the first time ever and took a sizeable step towards the knockout stages.
But the night belonged to Jota. Liverpool sporting director Michael Edwards has done it again.
