While Bournemouth performing so well this season under Andoni Iraola has come as a surprise to many, it won't have done behind the scenes at Liverpool. In fact, some of the credit lies in the corridors of Kirkby.
New Liverpool sporting director Richard Hughes, though his record in the transfer market is yet to be fully tested, came through his biggest challenge during his first summer: replacing Jurgen Klopp. Arne Slot, it is safe to say, was the right man for the job.
And before that, it was Hughes who opted to remove Gary O'Neil from his position and bring in Iraola, a highly rated coach from Spain. Alongside a plethora of excellent players that Hughes signed for Bournemouth, Iraola has been a revelation.
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Hughes was in attendance as his new side took on and beat his old one this weekend. And pretty much every player on the field, he knows well — having signed most of them for Bournemouth.
Mohamed Salah, a player Hughes simply must find a way to tie down to a contract extension before the end of the season, scored the two goals that saw Liverpool pick up the points, but it was a battle of a game. The Cherries, as expected, were excellent.
"They've picked up points against so many good teams, not by luck, but because they're intense," Slot said during his post-match press conference. "They have quality and that's why we knew it was always going to be very hard.
"If you want to win here maybe you need a bit of luck as well because the margins are so small. Our penalty was just not offside and their goal to make it 1-1 was just offside. They hit the post twice, we had our chances as well, but it was a close call for us to win."
Hughes has a better squad to hone at Liverpool than he did at Bournemouth — as shown by the result here, where Salah's world-class ability in front of goal made the difference — but the data shows the Cherries' performances are sustainable. The roster he left behind at the Vitality Stadium is not having a freak season but one that could be replicated unless it is picked apart.
Milos Kerkez, the Hungary left-back, is one player Liverpool should be considering, for instance. That position could become a priority in the summer and the 21-year-old is fast becoming one of the best young full-backs around.
But there are others too. Antoine Semenyo, 25, gave Trent Alexander-Arnold a tough time and Slot picked out Justin Kluivert, also 25, ahead of the game as someone who has really come on this season.
Another to stand out against Liverpool, however, was Dean Huijsen, the Spanish center-back. Alongside Illia Zabarnyi, 22, the former Juventus defender was brilliant for Iraola's side, as he has been for months.
Zabarnyi was exceptional in the air and in possession, but he plays on the right of the two. Liverpool could do with someone to eventually take over from Virgil van Dijk on the left side, and Huijsen could well become an option.
To be clear, Van Dijk should be going nowhere yet. His levels are still incredible and place him right up there as the best in the world in his position, but Huijsen, who doesn't turn 20 until near the end of the season, is an elite talent.
Signed last summer for a fee that could reach a maximum of $19m (£15m/€18m), it is a scandal that he was allowed to move so cheaply. Liverpool was tentatively linked before a move to Bournemouth was confirmed.
Huijsen kept Luis Diaz and Darwin Nunez relatively quiet — and helped Kerkez with Salah down that side of the pitch — while showing the composure of a center-back a decade older. He has all the attributes, in and out of possession, to make it at the very top.
While Kerkez might become a more immediate priority for Liverpool in the summer if he is indeed the man chosen to come in at left-back, Huijsen should be high up the list as well. Hughes didn't sign him for Bournemouth, but he will have been involved as he was monitored in the period leading up to his departure.
It might not be that the Reds need a center-back straight away (Joe Gomez didn't even make the matchday squad here, because there wasn't enough room for him). But when the time comes, Huijsen — though he won't be cheap — could very easily emerge as a target.
