Dazzling Doku weaves his magic to spark title charge and surely end Liverpool's defence

For heaven's sake, Jérémy. You're not supposed to actually enjoy these games.

- Barney Ronay

Except, it seems sometimes you can, even at this rarefied level. Perhaps the most striking part of Jérémy Doku's thrilling performance here was its playfulness, the sense of fun, the way he was into it from the first moment, basically dancing out there.

Doku has the nickname The Count, a reference to the Star Wars Sith Lord Count Dooku. His performance against Liverpool was more like watching the young Yoda scything his way around one of those mass lightsaber massacres, whirling and gliding, aware of space, wind, the crumpling of a blade of grass behind him.

Doku has one particular move, The Wand. Essentially he waves his foot over the ball and runs off the other way. Sounds easy. You try doing it. Here he spent his entire 74 minutes on the pitch making elite footballers vanish.

He did it to Mo Salah an hour into a gruelling game on a sodden pitch. A bit later he was double-teamed by Ryan Gravenberch and Conor Bradley, slowed to a walk, stopped, then out came the wand. Expelliarmus! They both vanished, Doku easing through the space to batter a shot at goal.

He was always going to score. When he did it was in part a product of the mental pain inflicted on the Liverpool defence in the preceding 62 minutes. Ibrahima Konaté was wary of getting too close. From there Doku didn't need to use his full range, just jinked to his right and walloped a thrilling shot into the far corner, a hard, flat, howling thing, basically unsaveable.