An age-old adage tells us that a picture is worth a thousand words. In this instance, a single image encapsulated 125 million reasons for concern.

Alexander Isak, following his £125 million transfer from Newcastle, had just netted his second Premier League goal. What should have been a moment of triumph quickly turned worrisome as the towering Swedish forward collapsed in pain, clutching his leg.

The scene that followed was telling: Isak covered his face with his jersey, a gesture that conveyed his distress and disappointment.

If the severity of his injury matches the concern etched on his face and as feared by Liverpool, the path to justifying his hefty price tag has encountered a significant obstacle.

By Sunday evening, there was palpable anxiety regarding the potential seriousness of his lower-leg injury. Since joining the Merseyside team, Isak has yet to achieve full fitness, and this setback could mean an extended absence. Upcoming scans will provide more clarity on his condition.

Alexander Isak can’t catch a break at Anfield, suffering injury after just his second league goal

The British record signing fell in anguish after scoring, caught by Spurs star Micky van de Ven

Despite the injury, Isak’s 55th-minute strike gave a glimpse or reminder of what he can do

The win against Tottenham, though earned despite lingering team weaknesses, is overshadowed by this development. Conversations during the holiday season will likely revolve around speculations on when Isak, the anticipated new star, will return to the pitch.

What may hurt the most for fans is that, seconds before going down in apparent agony, he finally showed exactly why he was worth breaking the bank for.

In his first nearly four months as a Reds player, he has not been good enough. ‘We have signed him for six years, not six months’ is Arne Slot’s way of looking at it and that, of course, is absolutely correct. But at that price and when team form has been shoddy, patience is in short supply.

His 55th-minute strike, though, gave a glimpse or reminder of what he can do. When will we next see that? And how crucial is it now that Liverpool delve back into their pockets in January?

Antoine Semenyo is the man on everyone’s lips, it seems, and the sought-after £65m-rated Bournemouth man could be just the tonic should the Anfield top brass find some spare change. Easier said than done, mind, but the Isak injury might jolt them into action.

Wirtz class arrives in time for Christmas

Florian Wirtz picked Isak out with a clever disguised pass and defenders stood no chance. Wirtz and Isak, all £241m of that duo, combined to lethal effect. When the pair signed in the summer, fans would have expected to see that week in, week out.

The fact they had to wait until five days before Christmas for Wirtz to assist Isak in the Premier League would have shocked many but it is better late than never, as they say.

But regardless of that, Wirtz is finally showing why he was signed to so much fanfare. OK, let’s not go over the top, there are still several levels for the German to climb before he reaches the heights he hit at Bayer Leverkusen.

Florian Wirtz’s class shone through in the 2-1 win, marking one of his best displays at Liverpool

He is, though, on the right trajectory — picking up the ball in little pockets of space, pulling defenders into places they would rather not be with clever runs and finding his team-mates with punchy passes.

Now all he needs is that first goal for the club…

Forgotten Frimpong offers something new

Jeremie Frimpong, like Isak, was substituted on and then later taken off with an injury but his problem is a busted lip – why did the referee not stop the game? – rather than anything that will cause any lasting damage.

The Dutch full back signed to much acclaim in late May, trailing the path from Bayer Leverkusen to Liverpool before his good mate Wirtz followed a month or so later.

Speaking to anyone who knew Frimpong well at the time spoke of a player who would change the whole dynamic of Arne Slot’s team with his energetic and creative style up and down that right flank.

But we have barely seen him. He has suffered two hamstring injuries and the most recent one saw him ruled out for the best part of two months with the Dutchman finally back today, as Daily Mail Sport revealed would happen a week ago.

Frimpong, 25, is a unique full back. Across his last two seasons in Germany, he scored 19 goals and assisted 24. Those are astonishing numbers that we should not underestimate. He registered one for Liverpool here with a clever ball into Hugo Ekitike.

It was not a perfect performance and some moments can be filed under ‘rustiness’ after a couple of months on the sidelines but Frimpong showed Slot that he can offer something that others do not.

Jeremie Frimpong offers something new on the right flank after coming back from injury

Goal-scoring is the most valuable currency for strikers, and Hugo Ekitike has shown why

At this juncture, it is worth pointing out fellow right back Conor Bradley put in a solid defensive performance in the first half before going off injured. Both Frimpong and his Northern Irish colleague are good right backs with different skill sets.

The main thing now is getting them both fit.

Ekitike shows why goals are more valuable than touches

Ekitike barely had a sniff for the whole first half and was not half as influential as he has been in recent weeks. 

But he scored and his tally now stands at five goals across the last three league games.

It shows that although he is a No 9 who does everything – link-up play, off-the-ball running, clever passes, drifting out wide – he can put in a performance similar to one of his inspirations Erling Haaland.

The Norwegian is oft-criticised for ghosting through games and not really influencing proceedings. 

It is all forgotten about when the Manchester City machine finds the back of the net to win his side the game, though.

Similar can be true of Ekitike, who said earlier this season: ‘If I can add a little bit in my game it would be from his (Haaland’s) game. He’s able to do things without touching the ball much during the game, and it’s really impressive.’

Ekitike is an all-round forward but it always helps when you know where the goal is, too. His headed finish here was a right-place-at-the-right-time, typical poachers’ goal.