Peering out from underneath a baseball cap, Alexis Mac Allister gathered his thoughts and then came out with a statement that made it seem like a throwback press conference.

“I’m very, very sad,” said the Argentine midfielder on September 8, as he mused over why he had not been offered a new contract by Liverpool. Coming so early in the reign of a new head coach, it seemed as if the way was being paved for problems.

The last thing Andoni Iraola needed, as he tried to get his career at Anfield up and running, was an issue with a senior player, especially one that had been coveted by Diego Simeone and had also been mentioned in dispatches with Manchester City as they struggled to strike a deal for Enzo Fernández.

Iraola had nothing to fear. Mac Allister, who had played well in his opening two appearances of the season against Nottingham Forest and Ipswich Town, was outstanding the following night against Atlético Madrid and there has been no looking back since: look at how he played against Villarreal.

It would have taken a brave man to say Liverpool would be receiving platitudes after an opening 30 minutes that were scarcely believable, but Mac Allister (along with Rio Ngumoha) was the catalyst for a marvellous turnaround, confirming he is the lynchpin in this midfield.

Who would have thought that would be the case? There would not have been too many objections at the end of last season if Mac Allister had been offloaded to bring in some transfer revenue but now it is implausible that he could ever be sold, even if he only has 18 months left on his deal.

Mac Allister has been in this wild autumn everything Liverpool knew he could be, a tenacious tempo-setter with a subtle range of passing and the priceless ability to arrive at the right time to score goals. Nobody in this squad loves Champions League nights at Anfield more than him.

He has scored eight goals in this competition for Liverpool, all of them coming on Merseyside (including a winner against Real Madrid last season), but this double felt like an interjection that showed you how important he can be for Iraola.

His header in the 36 th minute was a seesaw moment in the contest, tipping it back in Liverpool’s favour, and it was also like a rubber, helping erase the memories of last season when it seemed like he was playing with boots tied together and a chip on his shoulder.

None of that can be said now. Mac Allister, along with Jérémy Jacquet, has been the most consistent player in Liverpool’s squad (Cody Gakpo would have been included were it not for injury) and it is even more impressive to hear him speak afterwards with such self-reflection.

“Last year was a really difficult year for all of us,” he told Amazon Prime. “It was clear I was not at the level and I am the first one to say. Something wasn’t right in the group and this manager changed it. The way we play is different, I don’t like to compare. I’m feeling good.

“I’m not tall but I love going in the box. I really like it. They know I like to attack the near post. I scored in the World Cup as well. It was a good header. The second goal, Rio, was amazing. I talk with him about cutting it back on the floor.

“It’s not something I really practise. My dad [Carlos, a team-mate of Diego Maradona at Boca Juniors, who played as a left-back] is a bit smaller than me but he was quite good in the air so maybe it’s something I got from him.”

Where the spring comes from can be debated, but the header certainly put a spring in Liverpool’s step when it was required – and he will need to do the same again when Brighton, the club that put him on the map in the Premier League, visit on Sunday.

Liverpool are not in any rush to start talking about new contracts with Mac Allister, who they were able to sign on a cut-price £35m deal in June 2023, but if he keeps playing with this zip, he can change that situation too.