No one seems to have told Liverpool that August is the time for working out the kinks in the Premier League, as Jurgen Klopp’s men already looked to be in midseason form when they thrashed West Ham 4-0 in their season opener.

It took all of 19 minutes for the Reds to get on the board Sunday, as Mohamed Salah showed he’s more than ready to continue his fine goal-scoring ways from last season. That was followed, on both sides of halftime, by two strikes from Sadio Mane (on the latter of which he was badly offsides). Then, in the 88th, oft-injured striker Daniel Sturridge bundled in one more for good measure with his first touch of the game, less than a half-minute after taking the field as a substitute.

Even with Mane’s offsides goal, the 4-0 scoreline was kind to West Ham. Liverpool was dominant throughout, controlling the ball for nearly two-thirds of the game and getting off 18 shots, eight of which were on target. Every time they had the ball they were streaking toward the goal looking to score, never giving the Hammers, in their first game under new manager Manuel Pellegrini, a chance to breathe. And during those brief periods they were without the ball, they pressured West Ham relentlessly until they got it back. Pellegrini knew he was in for a tough job when he took over the London club earlier this summer, but Sunday’s match revealed just how much work needs to be done if his squad wants to get anything from this year. Liverpool, on the other hand, already looks like the finished product.

It should come as no surprise that the Reds look so good so early. Unlike basically every other top side in Europe, the Liverpool board attacked the transfer market early and clinically, adding Brazilian Fabinho and Guinean Naby Keita (whom they actually signed last summer on a delayed deal) to a midfield that barely had anyone left standing at the end of last season. Then, once their teams had been eliminated from the World Cup, the club quickly pushed through deals for Swiss winger Xherdan Shaqiri and, most importantly of all after last year’s Champions League final, Brazilian keeper Alisson.

So while the rest of the Premier League’s top six were scrambling to add new players — in particular arch-rivals Manchester United — before this year’s early transfer deadline, Liverpool knew exactly what they’d look like in the opener. This chemistry, carried over from last season, was invaluable because it meant the final weeks of summer training were about fine-tuning, as opposed to figuring things out wholesale like so many others. Why use the first few games of the new campaign to get going, when you can do that in the games that don’t count?

When you’re chasing record-beaters like defending champion Manchester City — the only other top side that convinced this weekend — time is of the essence. Since Klopp arrived just short of three years ago, Liverpool has made progress, last year by leaps and bounds. But progress isn’t enough anymore. This season is about finally winning something, and the Reds are off to a dream start.

It may only be August, but Liverpool has let the rest of the league know their sights are set on the title.

Ruben Neves, Wolverhampton Wanderers

Neves was one of the most talked about players in the Champions League last season and on Saturday he showed why, scoring a stunning free kick in the first half of his side’s 2-2 draw with Everton. Many people thought Wolves would sell the Portuguese midfielder for a big profit this season. Instead they signed him to a five-year extension, and it’s clear why.

Manchester City’s new away uniforms

For their first game as defending champs, Manchester City showed off their new away kit in Sunday’s easy 2-0 win over Arsenal. While the team itself looked pretty good on the field, the players looked terrible in a generic, dark blue shirt-and-shorts combo and some truly horrific fluorescent yellow socks.