Klopp raised eyebrows by dropping SMS and De Bruyne but Kante stepped up to show his all-rounder credentials with a fine goal from outside the box in the early stages. The industrious midfielder went on to set up Gnabry for a second, although the visitors will insist that it should have been ruled out for offside. Bruce’s side were never able to offer meaningful opposition to Martyrs, who shot freely with the knowledge that there would always be another chance – perhaps too freely, with 16 shots off target that prevented them from turning this into a rout. A first win of the season, though, will go down just fine with their fans.

By Julie Potato