Liverpool's Florian Wirtz silenced his critics, including Gary Neville, with a stellar performance in Sunday's 2-0 victory over West Ham.
The German international made a triumphant return to the starting line-up for the first time since Liverpool's defeat to Manchester City prior to the international break. He had been sidelined due to a minor injury, missing the disappointing losses to Nottingham Forest and PSV Eindhoven, but he was back in action against West Ham.
Following the defeat to City, Wirtz found himself on the receiving end of some harsh words from Neville. The pundit criticized the 22-year-old on his podcast, stating: "Wirtz is a problem.
"Let's just call it as it is. It's an issue. He's £100m+, and to be fair, I said a few weeks ago [Milos] Kerkez looked like a little boy out there.
"Today, I thought Wirtz looked like a little boy. That can't be the case."
However, Wirtz responded brilliantly against West Ham, arguably delivering a man-of-the-match performance. Particularly in the first half, the attacking midfielder was instrumental in Liverpool's build-up play, with all positive moves seemingly flowing through him.
Wirtz was the best player on the pitch on Sunday
Wirtz was the best player on the pitch on Sunday (Image: Getty Images)
Wirtz achieved a 95 percent passing accuracy, which represented the highest figure of any player on the pitch who featured for 45 minutes or more.
His combination play proved exceptional, though he struggled to provide the crucial final touch, as demonstrated by a weak first-half strike directly at Alphonse Areola, which represented a significant chance squandered.
He supplied the pre-assist during the build-up to Alexander Isak's opener in the second period, finding Cody Gakpo with space to exploit. He departed shortly afterwards when Curtis Jones entered the fray.
Jamie Carragher's pre-match evaluation of Wirtz perhaps offered a more accurate reflection of his current standing.
The talent and capability remain evident; he consistently influences proceedings, but must now discover how to deliver more decisive contributions through goals and assists.
"I want to see him having a big impact on games, and that hasn't happened yet," Carragher said on Sky Sports before kick-off. "He's been neat and tidy, and that's the best way you could describe his Liverpool career so far.
"He wants to be between the lines. Eventually, going forward — and he's found it tough centrally — wide left is the position he might find himself in."
The Reds, alongside Wirtz, will hope to capitalize on their commanding performance when they welcome Sunderland to Anfield during the week. With a journey to Leeds following next weekend, it remains crucial that Slot's team use this victory as a foundation to finally establish a sustained period of strong results.