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The grudging acceptance that came with Christian Benteke's arrival made it clear that the Belgian striker needed to get off to a bright start with his new club or else face the wrath of Liverpool fans who felt he wasn't exactly the type of striker the club needed. The countdown to his first goal was clear from the first whistle against Stoke City, but Benteke was not able to find the back of the net a week ago.
Any fear that the striker wouldn't get goals quickly, though, evaporated after Benteke scored his first goal in red on his Anfield debut. Those who worried about the player's fit were able to breathe slightly easier after he scored the game's only goal against Bournemouth.
"I thought Christian was a real handful. His hold-up play is outstanding," said manager Brendan Rodgers after the match. "He has a wonderful touch for a big guy and can control the game. There was one moment when the ball came into the box and because of his strength and power he got a touch, it dropped and [Philippe] Coutinho got away a shot.
"I’ve not had another who could do that up front in the three years I’ve been here. It is one reason we brought him in. Once the players get used to that and see it will give us more opportunities. That will come and grow over the coming months."
It is, of course, only one goal and it will take about twenty times that for many to feel like Liverpool got what they paid for with Benteke's price tag. But you have to score one goal before you can score twenty, and scoring once every two games will nearly get you to that tally.
