da bet nacional： The Uruguayan underwhelmed in his first season at Anfield but netted his fourth goal in three games during Sunday's friendly win in Singapore

da poker： Darwin Nunez struck again while Alexis Mac Allister ran the show as Liverpool hammered Leicester 4-0 in a one-sided friendly in Singapore.

The Reds started somewhat shakily but stunned their Premier League rivals with three goals in eight first-half minutes, with Nunez breaking the deadlock from close range after following up a Diogo Jota shot.

Bobby Clark made it 2-0 with a neat finish from a Mohamed Salah lay-off, and the latter created the third goal too, with a sublime in-swinging cross that Diogo Jota headed home.

Liverpool continued to dominate after the break and Ben Doak capped an impressive performance with the fourth goal, heading home at the back post following a corner from Dominik Szoboszlai.

GOAL looks at what we learned during the clash at the Singapore National Stadium

Mac Allister is magical

We knew as soon as Liverpool landed Mac Allister for just £35 million ($45m) that they had pulled off quite the coup. After all, the 24-year-old was one of the best players in the Premier League last season, and a key contributor to Argentina's triumphant World Cup campaign in Qatar.

However, we really could be looking at the signing of the summer here. Obviously, it's early days, the real action has yet to get under way and Mac Allister will ultimately be judged on how he performs in competitive fixtures. But it's fair to say that he looks perfectly poised to become a massive fan favourite at Anfield.

Mac Allister was outstanding for the 45 minutes he was on the field, linking Liverpool's play together wonderfully well. He popped up in between the lines to release Diogo Jota in the build-up to the game's opening goal, while he also started the move which led to Bobby Clark doubling the Reds' advantage.

Jurgen Klopp, though, will probably have been most pleased with the way in which the World Cup winner pilfered possession in the Leicester box late in the first half before teeing up Jota, who unfortunately fired high and wide.

Caution is obviously required, but it's going to be really hard for the Liverpool manager to quell the excitement surrounding Mac Allister – and the transformative effect he might have on the midfield – after a performance here that was as elegant as it was effective. Right now, he's looking like the answer to the supporters' prayers.

AdvertisementGettyDarwin looking dangerous

Darwin Nunez scored 15 goals last season, which is not bad for a first season in English football – but, at the same time, not outstanding for a £64m ($82m) striker. The Uruguayan's strengths were obvious, but so too were his weaknesses, and he spent a significant – and worrying – amount of time sitting on the bench during the closing stages of the 2022-23 campaign.

Liverpool will require much more from Darwin this time around and, on the evidence of what we saw here, and in the team's two previous friendlies, they might just get it.

The 24-year-old's goal was a tap-in but he had already had one goal ruled out for offside, underlining the fact that he was a threat throughout his time on the pitch.

The competition for places in the Liverpool attack will be even more intense this season but there is no denying that Darwin is up for the challenge. After his fourth goal in three pre-season outings, he is playing with a confidence that suggests he might just be capable of belatedly living up to his lofty transfer fee.

Remember, he only exploded in his second season at Benfica. History could well repeat itself at Anfield.

Kelleher too good to be a back-up

Caoimhin Kelleher wasn't heavily involved in Singapore, even during the early stages when Liverpool were looking vulnerable defensively. However, he made one huge save when the game was still scoreless eight minutes in, when he spread himself brilliantly to deny Wilfred Ndidi, who had been put clean through on goal.

It was a stop that hammered home the fact that Kelleher is too good to be a back-up goalkeeper – but, sadly, that's all he's ever likely to be at Anfield, given Alisson is the man ahead of him in the pecking order.

From Liverpool's perspective, it's obviously fantastic to have such quality cover – but it's not a good situation for Kelleher. He turns 25 in November and needs to be playing regular Premier League football by that point – particularly if he is to realise his hope of becoming Republic of Ireland's No.1.

Losing last year's League Cup hero would be a bit of a blow for Liverpool but a summer transfer would not only bring in some much-needed cash, it would also be the right thing for Kelleher's career.

Jota set to pick up where he left off last season

It was often overlooked just how badly Liverpool were affected by Jota's injury issues and related dip in form. When fully fit and firing, the Portuguese is the perfect Klopp forward, an all-action attacker with an incredible work-rate and the goalscoring instincts of a pure No.9.

His return to form at the tail end of last season played a big part in Liverpool's revival – Jota struck seven times in the final nine Premier League games – and the great news for the Reds is that he looks set to hit the ground running in 2023-24.

Jota was involved in nearly every attack during the first half. It was his saved shot which Nunez followed up to open the scoring, while he also squandered a great chance just before the break.

However, Jota's goal proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that is back to something approaching his very best form, with the former Wolves man finishing a move that he had started by once again showing off his excellent heading skills.

Whether deployed out wide or through the middle, Jota will have a massive role to play this season, fitness permitting of course…