On September 3rd, 2022, Liverpool left Goodison Park rueing missed opportunities in a goalless draw against Everton in a disjointed, discordant effort once again, sixth in the Premier League and six points adrift of pace-setters Arsenal.
The Reds had two wins from six matches, and while the 2022/23 Premier League season was in its early stage, something was not right with Jurgen Klopp's side, who had just months before taken Manchester City to the wire in an enthralling title race, lost the Champions League final against Real Madrid and won the domestic cup double, defeating Chelsea on penalties both times.
Perhaps it was that psychological blow of misfortune, halting an agonisingly close bid for a historic quadruple, that derailed Liverpool, who have risen to the fore under their German manager's illustrious management.
This season, at the same point as last year's Toffees draw, the Anfield side have blitzed into early title contention, boasting five wins and a draw from six matches, behind only perfect Manchester City and looking akin to the dominant force that the club was under Klopp's reign before the recent seasonal setback.
The club might ply their trade in the Europa League this time around, but Liverpool look good for ensuring it is but a sojourn into the second tier of European competition, with Klopp hailing "Liverpool 2.0", having crafted a much-changed midfield the high-powered engine for a devastating attack once again.
In the most recent match, a 3-1 home victory over West Ham United, Liverpool extended their winning run in the top flight to five matches after starting the term with a draw against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.
There is a long road ahead, but the resurgent Reds look set for a far more successful season after falling by the wayside last time out.
How did Liverpool perform against West Ham?
While Liverpool defeated the Hammers and bagged their fourth 3-1 win of the season, across all competitions, there is an undeniable feeling that more work needs to be done.
This is only natural, of course; last term, the Merseyside outfit finished the league campaign with 47 goals conceded – only the joint-seventh-best record in the division.
It's early days, but only Manchester City have shipped fewer than the Reds' five in the Premier League thus far, and that is promising, but slow starts continue to threaten disruption, with West Ham looking the better of the competing teams on Sunday afternoon until Mohamed Salah's opening strike.
After Jarrod Bowen's headed equaliser before the break, The Athletic's ever-optimistic James Pearce stated that it was "too slow and predictable", though he was right in stating that the away team were deservedly level.
The second-half onslaught came with conviction, however, with Darwin Nunez's delightful volley from an equally delicious looping through ball from Alexis Mac Allister reclaiming the lead in the 60th minute, before substitute Diogo Jota added to the lead with a close-range effort following Virgil van Dijk's knockdown.
While Liverpool's offensive guile and fluidity was on full display, one of the standout performers plied his trade within the backline. Joe Gomez, rebuked so often last season, looks to be enjoying a second coming this year.
How good was Joe Gomez last season?
Candidly, not very.
Gomez was at the epicentre of a shoddy defence embroiled in a loss of identity and confidence, and he only started 15 times in the league after losing the trust of his boss, unused for nine of the final ten matches of the term before languishing in the final match, a 4-4 draw against Southampton that prompted podcaster Graeme Kelly to brand him as "finished".
The £85k-per-week defender's future was looking more and more certain to lie away from Anfield, with comments from those such as Alan Shearer, who said he "makes too many mistakes", compounding his struggles on the pitch, making errors leading to shots and goals last season, also giving away a penalty in the Premier League.
It was a far cry from the dynamic defender who played an instrumental role in the conquering of the Premier League and Champions League under Klopp's stewardship, having made 179 appearances for the club since signing from Charlton Athletic for an initial fee of £3m as an 18-year-old in 2015.
How did Joe Gomez perform vs West Ham?
The England international – who, albeit, has not featured for his country since 2020 – was not at his best last season and came under heavy criticism for his role in Liverpool's woes last season.
But against the Hammers, he looked as good as he's been for some time, continuing a "brilliant" start to the season – as was said by reporter Neil Jones – and serving across central and wide defensive positions.
As per Sofascore, the 26-year-old was steadfast in his role at right-back, covering the injured Trent Alexander-Arnold once again, earning a match score of 7.5, taking 88 touches, completing 87% of his passes, succeeding with two of his three dribbles, making one key pass, forging three tackles, two interceptions and incredibly winning eight of his nine contested duels – which constitutes an 89% success rate.
Writer Joel Rabinowitz acknowledged the “renaissance” and said that he was "outstanding once again".
Nunez too looks a revitalised force after flattering to deceive in large parts following his £85m transfer from Benfica last summer, scoring 15 times across all competitions but criticised for missing “too many chances” by the likes of talkSPORT’s Tony Cascarino.
This season, the 24-year-old has already plundered four strikes and two assists across all competitions, despite only starting three times.
That said, given his role last term, Gomez's return to form has been even more impressive. Starting the last three Premier League matches for Klopp's side, it is wonderful that the defender is returning to the vigour that left him in such good standing in the past, and ending the woes of last year.
Liverpool's defence has performed so far this year but there are undeniable signs that it is not at its fluid, rock-solid best yet, but with the likes of Gomez contributing so effectively to the efforts there is every possibility that silver-laden success can be found once again at Anfield.