A centre-back partnership that is starting to click

There are wins, and then there are wins that tell you something. Liverpool's 1-0 victory at Bournemouth was the kind of result built on defensive steel and collective organisation rather than attacking fireworks, and the man who embodied both of those qualities was Jeremy Jacquet. The 21-year-old Frenchman was so good that his own central defensive partner felt compelled to say so publicly, and Virgil van Dijk is not a man who hands out compliments lightly.

When presenting the Player of the Match award to Jacquet after the final whistle, Van Dijk told Sky Sports: "Congratulations brother, well deserved. Let's go! One of many." Three words, "one of many", that carry the kind of quiet confidence you want to hear from the most experienced defender in your squad. It felt less like a post-match pleasantry and more like a passing of the torch.

Jacquet, who joined the Reds in a £60 million deal from Rennes in the summer, has slotted into Andoni Iraola's back-line as though he has been there for years. The numbers from the Vitality Stadium tell their own story: three tackles, two interceptions, one block, six ball recoveries, and an 88 per cent pass completion rate from 59 attempts. He also contributed nine line-breaking passes and four accurate long balls. That is not a young defender finding his feet, that is a player imposing himself on a match.

Three clean sheets and a manager who is quietly delighted

The clean sheet at Bournemouth was Liverpool's third consecutive Premier League shutout, following a 2-0 win at Ipswich Town and a goalless draw against Fulham. That sort of run does not happen by accident, and Iraola was not shy about crediting Jacquet's contribution to it. "Happy for him," the Liverpool head coach said. "He has helped us in this defensive side with a third clean sheet in a row. I am very happy for him to get his international call-up. He is showing composure and confidence and we are happy."

Iraola also took a moment to reflect honestly on the match as a whole, and it was a refreshingly candid assessment. The first half was clearly not what he wanted. "I wasn't happy with the first half, honestly," he admitted. "The first 20 minutes they were putting us under pressure. We were not comfortable." That kind of transparency from a manager who has won four and drawn three of his opening seven matches is a healthy sign, you do not get complacent when you are still willing to critique a performance that ended in a victory.

The second half was a different story. Bournemouth tired, Liverpool found their positions on the ball, and Alexander Isak made the breakthrough to settle the contest. The result moves the Reds to sixth in the Premier League and keeps that unbeaten run intact across all competitions through seven matches.

What comes next for Liverpool's defensive revelation

Sixth place and seven matches unbeaten is a solid early platform, but it is the manner in which this Liverpool side is conceding, or rather, not conceding, that should excite supporters most. Three clean sheets in a row in the Premier League suggests that the defensive unit is beginning to function as a genuine collective, and Jacquet's arrival looks increasingly like a shrewd piece of business.

For a 21-year-old to come into a new country, a new league, and a new club and immediately command his position with the composure Iraola described, that points to a player with a very high ceiling. Van Dijk's words after the final whistle were short, but they were loaded with meaning. "One of many" sounds less like encouragement and more like a prediction, and if this Bournemouth display is anything to go by, it might just be an accurate one.