Alexander Isak and Arne Slot shared a touching moment after the striker broke his goal drought during the 2-0 win over West Ham.
The Swedish international, who transferred to Liverpool from Newcastle during the summer transfer window, scored his first goal for the club on his third appearance against Championship side Southampton in the Carabao Cup on 23 September.
Many anticipated that Isak would continue this momentum, but the former Borussia Dortmund player has struggled to find his footing at Anfield. In fact, he had not scored in his last seven appearances for the Reds before the match at the London Stadium.
However, Isak found the back of the net for the first time in over two months, scoring Liverpool's opening goal in a crucial win against the Hammers. In the 60th minute, he connected with Cody Gakpo's pullback and drove the ball into the bottom corner.
The composed finish from the 26-year-old was followed by another eight minutes on the pitch before being substituted for Hugo Ekitike.
As he left the field, Isak was warmly embraced by Liverpool's head coach, Slot, who has been under increasing pressure due to the team's recent performance.
Alexander Isak and Arne Slot celebrate during Liverpool's win at West Ham
Alexander Isak and Arne Slot celebrate during Liverpool's win at West Ham (Image: Getty Images)
But it was all smiles between Slot and Isak, with the Dutchman offering a hug and handshake to the striker, who reciprocated before taking his place on the bench. Liverpool managed to double its lead in stoppage time through Gakpo, securing a crucial three points and their first victory in four matches.
In the post-match interview, Slot had high praise for Isak. "He's a top striker," he commented. "This finish was very good. I kept him in just long enough for him to get a goal for the team and himself."
Isak, on the other hand, appeared relieved after netting his first Premier League goal for the Reds.
"I've been waiting for it and chasing it [his first Premier League goal for Liverpool] and, sometimes, it takes longer than you expect, but happy to score a goal and help towards the win today," he revealed. "It's never easy, as a striker, you need momentum.
"Sometimes you go through this patches, but, hopefully, this will be helpful towards building good form. We defended really well and scored twice, so happy days."
The victory propels Liverpool back into the upper half of the Premier League table - now sitting on 21 points from their 13 matches. Reflecting on the significant result, Slot stated: "A win, and that was what we mainly needed, and we got a clean sheet as well, which is always helpful.
"Not giving anything away to the other team as a gift, as we have done far too many times this season. The other team hardly created a chance except in the final minute through [Jarrod] Bowen.
"West Ham made it a difficult game for us, but we did very well defensively. The good thing was that they only had one chance."