Liverpool racked up back-to-back Champions League wins against Rangers.

Trent Alexander-Arnold put Jurgen Klopp’s side ahead on eight minutes with a perfectly taken free kick which curled over the visitors’ wall and into the net.

The Reds had to wait until early in the second half to double their lead as Mohamed Salah coolly converted a penalty after Luis Diaz was fouled.

Here were the key talking points from Anfield:

Alexander-Arnold claps back at critics

Criticisms of Trent Alexander-Arnold have been borderline merciless of late.

Be it his inability to defend resolutely or produce his familiar creativity levels, Liverpool’s homegrown right-back simply cannot do right for doing wrong.

Last weekend’s draw with Brighton placed Alexander-Arnold further under the microscope after he was culpable in failing to stop the visitors’ first two goals.

But the 23-year-old began to deliver a perfect riposte to his England-centric detractors less than 10 minutes into this Champions League group encounter.

Absolute 📕 from @TrentAA pic.twitter.com/DWVKC2wH5Z #LFC #UCL #LIVRAN

— Liverpool FC news (@ClickLFC) October 4, 2022

Bending a textbook free kick over the Rangers’ four-man wall and into the top corner of Allan McGregor’s net gave lift-off to an already febrile Anfield crowd.

Invariably, the jury remains out on whether Alexander-Arnold can show enough to warrant a place in Gareth Southgate’s squad for the World Cup.

For the time being at least, he has proved a point to his most ardent critics.

Klopp change-up gives food for thought

Until now, Jurgen Klopp has slavishly persevered with a 4-3-3 formation.

The Liverpool manager’s reasoning was self-explanatory in using a system which prioritises attacking options while also maintaining solid foundations.

Yet there is a case to be made that Klopp’s core philosophy had become somewhat stale due to numerous opponents frustrating them this season.

On Tuesday evening, he showed the capability to switch things up even after seven years at the helm by experimenting with a four-pronged front line.

Flanked by Luis Diaz and Mohamed Salah, Darwin Nunez and Diogo Jota occupied the central berth to combat Rangers’ attempts to defend stoutly.

That approach proved more fluid than it may have appeared on the team sheet, with the pair able to manipulate the gaps within the visitors’ half.

Nunez, in particular, reaped the benefits from the refreshed outlook as he tested Allan McGregor on no fewer than five occasions throughout the game.

The Uruguayan’s success alone should give Klopp food for thought that his revised formation clearly has mileage in other, albeit not all, future matches.

Reds finally able to shift focus

Changing gears is not exclusive to Liverpool’s line-up after this so-called ‘Battle of Britain’ ultimately turned out to be something of a non-event.

Last month’s win over Ajax helped drag Klopp’s side off the floor in the Champions League but this result could help propel them deep into it.

Victory in their return leg with Rangers, coupled with Napoli inflicting another defeat in Amsterdam, will put them on course to qualify from Group A.

Having one foot planted in the latter stage of Europe’s elite club competition also offers Liverpool a much-needed shift in focus for most of this month.

Once their trip to Ibrox is negotiated, attention can fully shift to a testing fortnight of Premier League fixtures that starts with Manchester City’s visit.

Before then, the small matter of a trip to Arsenal which will require the laser-like focus which Klopp’s players retained during last season’s gruelling run-in.