Heading into the summer transfer window, it felt like a case of when and not if Federico Chiesa would depart Anfield.
To say the Liverpool attacker had a bit part role under Arne Slot last season would be quite the understatement.
The 27-year-old Italian racked up just 104 minutes in the English top-flight last term and added 120 minutes in the Carabao Cup as the Reds reached the final.
With the forward line set to be overhauled by the champions, Chiesa’s departure was a formality.
In fact, in early August, in a piece following Darwin Nunez’s sale, Paul Joyce of the Times claimed Chiesa was pushing for a move away.
Yet here we are, heading into October, and the 51-cap Italian international is proving to be quite integral to this Liverpool team.
The champions have started with seven wins from seven across all competitions. They haven’t been at their best yet, though that is expected following a significant turnover in playing staff this summer.
They’re managing to eke out wins though. The 2-1 win over Southampton in the Carabao Cup was the sixth consecutive match in which the Reds have won by an odd goal this campaign.
Chiesa was the star of the show as the beaten 2024/25 finalists booked their place in round four of the competition with another late victory at Anfield. The former Juventus winger was deployed on the right side of the attack initially as Slot fielded a heavily rotated XI for the visit of the Saints.
The one-time Fiorentina flyer could’ve had an assist in the opening minute having made an intelligent run into the box from the right side before laying a pass into the path of Alexander Isak.
His effort was saved by Alex McCarthy, with the £125million summer signing revealing in his post-match interview that he felt he should’ve scored that particular chance.
It was one of four chances carved out by the Italy international on Tuesday night. He was, comfortably, Liverpool’s best creative player. None of his teammates managed to create over one chance against Will Still’s men.
Remarkably, all four of the chances created by Chiesa were big ones. He finished with two assists. And these assists showcased the Italian’s versatility.
The first was a case of hard work paying off. He showed great intelligence and awareness to intercept a McCarthy pass. He then showed exceptional awareness to limit the number of touches taken, quickly funnelling the ball back into the danger zone for Isak to convert with a first-time finish.
His second was completely different.
Having been shuffled over to the left-hand side following a number of substitutions, Chiesa made an off-of-the-ball dart from left to right to latch onto an Andy Robertson pass over the top.
And while nobody would’ve blamed him for taking a shot from the position he was in, the No14 highlighted his acute awareness once again to slide the ball across the face of goal for a simple tap-in for Hugo Ekitike.
It capped a fine performance. It also ensured a well deserved Man of the Match award.
A 🔝 performance from Chiesa 🤩 pic.twitter.com/87yIFRgNxd
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) September 23, 2025
Slot heaped a lot of praise onto the multifunctional forward after he played right, left and centre against the Saints.
“I said at half-time, for me it is completely not a coincidence that Federico picked the ball and assisted on the first [goal] because he was the one, in my opinion, that was most involved in the game, tried the most, worked the hardest.
“And then it wasn’t a coincidence again that he was the man that made a deep run, great ball by Robbo [Andy Robertson], by the way – who also has won so much at this club and also understands how to play this game: not underestimate it, just always be ready to play. That’s also the way to get yourself either back in the team or get as much playing minutes as you want.”
The Liverpool boss also name-checked Chiesa when asked about Ekitike’s silly sending off.
“I told him as well and I said it to numerous media already, if you score in a Champions League final in the 87th minute after outplaying three players and hitting it in the top corner, I can maybe understand that you’re like, ‘This is all about me, what did I do?’ But I am old fashioned, I’m 47 and old maybe. I haven’t played at this level but I did score a few goals and if I would have scored a goal like this, I would have turned around and walked up to, in this situation, Federico Chiesa and said, ‘This goal is all about you, this is not about me.’ So, yeah, needless, not smart. You call it stupid. I call it stupid, by the way, as well.”
Hugo with the winner 🇫🇷 pic.twitter.com/NZ2rZrwTrX
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) September 23, 2025
Chiesa didn’t single handedly win the game for the Reds but, despite initially being excluded from the Champions League squad - although it appears he could be now given a place given the injury to Giovanni Leoni - and missing out on the matchday squad against Everton, the Italian remained focused and gave his all in an attempt to be a difference-maker.
In that 90 minutes against Southampton, he showed he had an understanding with Isak and Ekitike, creating two chances for each of the big-money centre-forwards.
He also combined well with Ekitike for the disallowed goal. Chiesa may have been in an offside position but the finish was ridiculously good. He put in a shift too, winning five of his eight duels.
Many thought Chiesa may have had his moment for the season on the opening day when he restored Liverpool’s lead in the eventual 4-2 win over Bournemouth. Following the arrival of Isak on deadline day, the feeling was he’d fade, once again, into obscurity.
But that might not be the case.
If his performance against Southampton is the benchmark, he’s going to be a viable option for Liverpool and not just in cup games. He could be valuable to Slot’s side in the league too, especially if there are injuries or tiredness following a match in Europe.
If Chiesa can continue to be a moments man when given opportunities, he’s going to be an important squad player for the Reds.
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