Naby Keita looked like a rabbit caught in headlights...

Becoming the first Liverpool player to wear the No 8 since Steven Gerrard in 2015 brought with it pressure. Perhaps it has weighed too heavy on Naby Keita’s shoulders this past year.

The 24-year-old has not lived up to the hype in his first Premier League season. He was supposed to be the missing link in midfield but, more often than not, he’s just been missing.

This was his first start since February but by equalising before the break, he gave Liverpool their chance of a comeback. For Jurgen Klopp, it was instant justification of his inclusion.

Indeed should Liverpool go on to pip Manchester City to the title, how priceless could that leveller prove? As a central midfielder, though, there remains room for improvement.

At times Keita looked like a rabbit caught in headlights at St Mary’s Stadium. There was too much carelessness in possession, too much jogging without purpose in the centre of the pitch.

Midway through the first half, one well-followed Twitter account asked for a word to sum up the midfielder. The replies flooded in, the majority unkind, a fair few beginning with the letter ’S’.

Then, he scored. It was a lesson in how to go from zero to hero in a split second. Keita, all 5ft 8in of him, out-jumped 6ft 2in Jan Bednarek and headed home his first goal for Liverpool.

Klopp will hope that brings with it confidence. Certainly, the relief on Keita’s face after cancelling out Shane Long’s opener was there for all to see.

The last time he scored was as an RB Leipzig player in April 2018, when Ralph Hasenhuttl was his manager.

The Southampton boss knew full well what Keita could do ahead of Friday night, after seeing him score eight and nine goals in their two seasons together in Germany.

It was Hasenhuttl who, during his time in charge of Leipzig, told Liverpool to not bother trying to sign the midfielder because he was very much not for sale.

Eventually, money talked. Months of discussions led to Liverpool agreeing a deal worth £48million in August 2017, with the Guinea international to officially join them in July 2018.

They hoped he was worth the wait. As did the supporters, who were spellbound by compilations of his skills on YouTube and comparisons to Andres Iniesta.

After seeing his player sold to Liverpool, Hasenhuttl lavished Keita with praise. ‘If there’s one player I don’t have any fear that he can make it at every club in the world,’ he said, ‘that’s Naby.’

So far, he’s proved a work in progress. He has been an unused substitute seven times under Klopp this season but close to 90 minutes under his belt was just what he needed here.

Klopp had a vision for Keita when he first made it his mission to sign the starlet two years ago. He saw him as the ideal candidate to play in an advanced midfield position with his high tempo style already suited to their pressing system.

He got his goal against Southampton and it led to a Liverpool win, keeping them in this nail-biter of a title race. For Klopp, that made his rare selection worthwhile.