Liverpool fan-favourite Xabi Alonso made a stellar start to management as his Bayer Leverkusen side made light work of Schalke in what was the Spaniard's first ever game as a senior manager.
Alonso does have a healthy amount of coaching experience given he was previously in charge of Real Sociedad's B team prior to his appointment in Germany on Wednesday. But one thing on his to-do list this summer in his first senior position will be to try and keep hold of the man who scored the opening goal of the game: Moussa Diaby.
The 23-year-old French international has attracted plenty of interest from some of Europe's biggest clubs and Premier League giants Arsenal were rumoured to be weighing up a mammoth £70million-bid for him in the summer window just gone but a deal failed to materialise.
It was Diaby's fierce 38th minute drive that sent Leverkusen on their way, before the goal-scorer turned provider to set up Jeremie Frimpong just three minutes later. Frimpong added another and Paulinho put the result beyond any doubt with Leverkusen's fourth and final goal.
Alonso may only be one game into his Leverkusen tenure and managerial career, but speculation over whether he will one day occupy the Anfield hot-seat has been rife from the moment he retired as a player.
The former Liverpool star has admitted the Reds job is one that would certainly interest him, but it is likely to be a while before that role is one that is even offered to him. Speaking to CNN last year while he was still at Sociedad, Alonso said as much.
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"I am here in San Sebastian and Liverpool fans, they salute me and I still feel that support. For me, that feeling in life is great. Right now, Jurgen [Klopp] is doing a great job, so I think that the job is fulfilled, but for sure that Liverpool is top, top club for me, very, very, special."
The ex-Real Madrid man has confessed the transition into coaching was an obvious one for him to embark on.
"Sometimes the manager, he doesn't have time to give an instruction on the pitch," he added. "So you need players to be able to take those decisions when you are playing so quick. And that was my job, and that's why it became natural to me, to me, that process to try to be a manager."
