Jordan Henderson busted a football cliche against West Ham and proved he is a problem solver

The skipper's form has been excellent in recent months and he showed an added value against West Ham United.

There is a very fine line in football between making the most of a player's versatility, and squeezing a square peg into a round hole.

The latter was a cliché often levelled at both Rafael Benítez and Brendan Rodgers in their times at Liverpool, and Jürgen Klopp's insistence that James Milner could be turned into a left-back during the 2016/17 season saw many question why a new player hadn't simply been purchased instead

The majority of elite level footballers are specialists in certain positions, usually just one but some capable of performing at a high level in two. Against West Ham United on Wednesday night, though, Jordan Henderson was asked to play three different roles in the space of five minutes by his manager.

The captain began the match at the base of the midfield, a position he has thrived in since Fabinho suffered his injury against Napoli back in November, and has combined consistent creativity with dictating the speed of Liverpool's attacks and even an increased goal threat. He was impressive again in the London Stadium, ensuring Liverpool maintained their patience in the face of David Moyes' rigid 5-4-1 shape, making more tackles than any of his team-mates, and controlling more possession and managing a higher passing accuracy than any other player on the pitch.

During the second-half, though, as Fabinho and Naby Keita came on to replace Divock Origi and Trent Alexander-Arnold a few minutes' apart, Henderson moved first into the advanced number eight position, and then to right-back for the final portion of the game. At that stage of proceedings, the contest was dead, and Henderson's workload in both of his different roles amounted to little more than keeping the ball and playing simple passes.